Nestlé Nigeria and the Switzerland Government have reiterated their resolve to boost industrialisation in Nigeria through support for technical education and skills among the youth.
Speaking at the sixth graduation ceremony of the Nestlé Technical Training Programme in Agbara, Ogun State, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Wassim Elhusseini said the 18-month programme was aimed at bridging the skills gap by equipping youths with the required expertise to support industrialisation.
Elhusseini said the 20 trainees excelled at the Diploma Three, Four and Five examinations of the “London City and Guilds,” obtaining distinctions in Thermodynamics, and the best overall results in West Africa.
“This is why we are passionate about helping them to build the capabilities and skills they need to contribute towards accelerating the industrialisation we need to grow our economy,” the MD was quoted as saying in a statement on Friday titled, ‘Nestlé Nigeria Celebrates sixth batch of Technical Training Programme Graduates’.
According to the statement that the 18-month intensive programme, which was inaugurated in 2011, trains participants in machining, mechanical fitting operations, electrical operations, instrumentation operations, and automation, and culminates in the London City and Guilds technical certification with the top five graduates of each batch undergoing a further three-month internship programme at a Nestlé factory in Switzerland, sponsored by the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria.
It added that over 160 students had benefitted from the programme since its inception, with over 90 per cent of them directly employed by Nestlé Nigeria.
