‘To Accelerate Youth Vocational Employment, Collaboration is Vital’

Ugo Aliogo

The Chief Executive Officer, Ishk Tolaram Foundation, Divya Patel, has stated that to accelerate youth vocational employment in Nigeria, trust-based collaboration is vital, noting that their work as an organisation involves being impact-driven and collaborative.

She stated that addressing youth unemployment requires that all stakeholders work with each other, share their experiences, be transparent about challenges and commit to action.

Patel shared this recently in Lagos at the 2023 Ishk Skills Hub Graduation and Skilling Conference. Designed to showcase the positive outcomes of the Foundation’s vocational training programme, the conference also convened a panel to discuss how to overcome challenges hindering youth vocational skilling and employment in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Deputy Programme Director, Ishk Tolaram Foundation, Oje Ivagba, urged the government, at all levels, to stop considering vocational employment as a second choice to white-collar jobs, noting that if effectively positioned, vocational jobs can tackle the unemployment deficit in Nigeria.

He explained that over 500 Ishk Skills Hub students who completed their training in 2022 also graduated formally at this event and had the opportunity to pose questions directly to the panel, comprising key stakeholders such as vocational training centers, government agencies and corporate employers.

He added that 50 graduates were also awarded with startup toolkits through the Ishk Award for Excellence.

According to Patel, “As an organisation, Ishk Tolaram Foundation’s purpose is to enable individuals to improve their quality of life. In Nigeria, we do this through healthcare and skilling.

“Ishk Skills Hub started in 2019 to address youth unemployment in Nigeria. To date, over 700 youth have been trained, of which over 50 per cent are employed. To do this effectively, we designed the six-month student journey to focus on skills that could meet industry needs: Carpentry, Masonry, Plumbing and Fashion. We also focused on soft skills that would set our students up for success whether they chose to be employed or self-employed, including confident leadership, personal effectiveness and strong communication.

“In addition to vocational training, the Foundation also works within healthcare in Nigeria. Their programme Ishk Limb Centre, has provided over 20,000 free prosthetic limbs to Nigerians, and they are now developing a program for access to quality hearing aids. In addition, the Foundation has also supported partner organisations in providing over 50,000 individuals with free cataract surgeries, deworming treatments, access to maternal and child healthcare, nutrition care and health worker training.”