Against the backdrop of prevailing economic and related downturns in the country, leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc continues to support the federal government in aiding youth empowerment for a better future. This is just as another batch of trainees graduated from the Plant and Equipment Academy of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
Speaking at the grand event last weekend, the company’s Director, Administration, Alhaji Abdulaziz Kaita who described the event as a celebration of another key mileage in the company’s consistency of purpose and proactive contribution to the country’s industrial and technological development and industrial advancement, said that developing Nigeria’s teeming youths for a productive future cannot be left to government alone. Patriotic corporate citizens according to Alhaji Kaita, must seek ways and opportunities to aid government in the foregoing regards.
You cannot leave everything to the Government; you also must contribute. Nigeria has one of the biggest populations of youth in the world, not only in Africa, but in the world, because 70% of the population of Nigeria are young people. So out of a population of 220 million people, 150 million people are between the age of 23 and 38 years. So, it’s very important to tap into this population which we have and train them, Kaita said.
Adding that the spate of insecurity in the land pose another cause for worries, the Director said, if we train more youth so that we can possibly take them out of the streets, all these issues of insecurities we have in Nigeria, maybe, will be over.
He disclosed that part of why the construction company established its Plant and Equipment Academy is to complement efforts of government in empowering the youths even as he challenged other corporate entities operating in the country to do same for better results. In order to complement the efforts of the Government, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, set up this Plant Academy to train people so as to complement the efforts of the Government. So, companies like Julius Berger usually contribute and help the Government to train youths to take them out of the streets, to get them employed. It is not only Julius Berger that should be doing this. I am also calling for other companies to emulate what Julius Berger is doing, to train people, so that we can take all the youths out of the streets, he further said.
Concluding, Kaita said a report of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation shows that this type of training contributes to performance. He continued: According to the report, we have about 26% increase in performance for people who are trained against those people who are not trained at all. So, I think some or most of you will get employed in Julius Berger. But even if you go elsewhere, I am sure you are going to be a big asset to the company where you go. This is something which is timely, and it is laudable too. We have trained about 40 technicians so far since we set up this academy and I think about 16 are graduating today. This is a very good achievement.
Kaita commended a major partner in this Julius Berger’s effort, Armed Forces Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Mechatronic School (AFEME for their continued support.
The Head of Julius Berger Plant and Equipment Department, Francois Roos who kickstarted the programme, praised the graduating youths for seizing the opportunity of the training programme to develop themselves as well as encouraging people around them to engage in similar training. But the most important other thing you need to do is to inspire the people around you that they would also want to be trained that they would ask your supervisors and also do not be scared to share your knowledge, you now know something; go share it with the people around you, Roos added; even as he thanked everybody that contributed to the life of the trainees for helping to fulfil their dreams.
