Founder of Gazelle Vocational Academy, Muna Onuzo, has said that vocational institutions bring hope to the youth of a nation.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the academy held at Protea Hotel, Victoria Island Lagos, Onuzo said that happiness was written all over the faces of the graduands because they didn’t just graduate with a certificate but also skill to better their lives.
She stated that at present they were in partnership with IndustriaI Training Fund while looking to partner with government and corporate organisations to implement their community sustainable developmental programmes.
“We know that government on its own cannot do enough, so we hope to partner with them to help them actualise their social enterprise vision because we have the platform for them to strive on. We’ve been accredited and certified by the federal government as a vocational training centre and we hope that organisations would see credibility in that to partner with us in delivering their suitability projects,” Onuzo said.
She claimed at Gazelle they gave out practical solutions on things to make an individual independent, skilful and financially buoyant.
“We give our students the ability to stand and build their business. We start by teaching them the skills of the trade and then we empower their mind so that the inner disabilities won’t limit them from actualising their true potential. We also teach students how to run a business that is clean, sustainable and viable,” she explained.
Although they appreciate and encourage students with at least SSCE certificates, she insisted that their gate was open to anybody willing to improve him or herself.
She maintained, “One of my students now serves as a teacher in the academy. That shows fulfilment and promise that we bring to students. We don’t just talk; we back up what we promise with actions. Some of our students would be receiving awards for excellence today because they did well throughout their stay in the school.
“We are going to unveil our website soon, which also contains a business model. From the point of graduation they would have business tools to work with on our platform because we want them to just concentrate and work. We have created an accessible and easy to use model that once they graduate they can take advantage of it.”
In next five years, Onuzo hoped they have franchises within the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
She said: “That is the future and that is where we are going. It is not about Lagos State; we already have a plan and we are already working at it. We’ve have programmes that we put in place to support the franchises once they key into the project. We are coordinated and we know where we are going.“
“We teach them how to turn these skills into viable businesses. Vocational centre is very key to the youth and economy. The formation of the academy actually started form my own experience, I didn’t grow up in the Lagos; I grew up in the East.
“It was through the skill that I had at a time that I got properly integrated into the Lagos society and from there I got a job and started my own business. This was between 2003 and 2004. Skill is very important, today’s world is no longer about certificate; there must be something else to survive with and which is beyond educational certificate.”
She called on the government to include skill acquisition into the Nigerian educational system, especially in the secondary schools, to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment.
Onuzo continued, “We started off as a makeup school and we have a catering, fashion and ICT . Recently we accredited and certified by ITF to be an in-house apprentice training centre, whhc has also allowed us to work with them our students on technical skills including welding, plumbing, shoe making and carpentry.
“I am in support that vocational training should be introduced into our educational system. I think china and other country are pushing to have seriously skill training as a part of the corporate and formal educational system in secondary schools. I believe that we should start thinking in that direction too.”
The ceremony, which was the first of the Academy, saw about 20 students graduating.