| EDC Trainees Clothe Lagos Black Heritage |
At the Lagos Black Heritage Festival, which took place
between April 3 and 9, 2011, the fruitful collaborative strategy between the Lagos
State Vocational Skills Acquisition Centre and the Entrepreneurship
Development Centre, Lagos, played a crucial role in helping to fine-tune the
creative and value added artistry of unemployed youth, necessary to help
achieve large scale job creation by which poverty and hunger can be
devastatingly dealt with.
What seemingly attracted participants and tourists at the Lagos Black
Heritage Festival were the 93,000 costumes on display at the event.
Generally, one's presumed judgement would have imagined the fortune that was
spent by the government to import these costumes, as they were beautifully
arrayed in forms of insect wings, butterflies and weevils, as well as the
petals of sun flowers with others having the shape of the moon and stars.
Tourists were overwhelmed with the beauty, colourful display and ingenuity
of the participants. Little did we know that these costumes were all made by
the instructors and students of the Vocational Skills Acquisition Centres
who worked tirelessly for four months to produce the 93,000 pieces of
costumes that were paraded. Governor Fashola emphatically stated with pride
at the event that no foreign supervisors or artisans were brought into the
country to aid or make any of the costumes.
An excited Fashola enthused: "Everything you see today were made here in
Lagos by your children, your brothers, and sisters, your wives and husbands
during an enterprising period of commercial exchanges, job creation and team
work that shows that nothing is impossible for us to achieve in Lagos, once
we set our minds to do it".
Over 5000 beneficiaries have received vocational and entrepreneurship skills
in various fields from the 16 Vocational Centres spread across different
Local Governments Areas of Lagos, and, at least 4000 young persons' are
registered for every new session at the 16 centres to acquire
entrepreneurial and vocational skills in hair dressing, tie and dye,
vulcanising/wheel balancing and alignment, screen transfer, printing
technology, air conditioner repairs, photography, interior decoration,
refrigeration and air-conditioning repairs, dress and shoe making.
Other newly introduced technical skills in the expanded curriculum that now
incorporates Welding, Aluminum Fabrication, Tile and Interlocking Stone
Laying, Vulcanising & Wheel Balancing, Printing/Lithographic Transfer in
addition to the existing vocation in Computer Appreciation and Programming,
Fashion Designing/Sewing, Catering/Hotel Management, Textile/Hat Design,
Photography, Adult Literacy and Counselling.
There is no doubt that under aegis of the new Lagos Black Heritage Festival,
the Hospitality and Tourism sector has ambitious plans for future growth in
Lagos State and from the display of the incredible skills of the empowered
youth in the just concluded festival, subsequent events will not be hampered
by a shortage of skilled people.
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