INTELS equips women with entrepreneurial skills

INTELS Nigeria Limited has graduated 62 beneficiaries of its Women Empowerment Project Scheme Synergy (WEPSS) initiative, designed to equip women in its host community, Onne Port, with skills in fashion design and tailoring.

The 11th graduation ceremony, held at the Federal Lighter Terminal in Onne Port, also included the donation of 500 garments crafted by the graduating class to host communities via the Tilda Goes Green Foundation in Port Harcourt.

Launched in 2013, WEPSS has trained 2,047 women to date, to empower 5,000 women over 20 years.

Speaking at the ceremony, INTELS Managing Director Pasquale Fiore reaffirmed the company’s dedication to community development and women’s empowerment.

Fiore said the company believes that investing in a woman is also investing in a powerful source for global development.

He said since its inception, WEPSS has empowered over 2,000 women, while striving each year to improve by taking on bigger projects to support more women and provide them with the tools they need to succeed.

Fiore encouraged the graduates to harness their newfound skills to excel in the fashion industry and emphasised the importance of giving back to society.

Fiore also commended the WEPSS workers for their unwavering commitment to delivering impactful training.

The INTELS’ Executive Director, Legal, Corporate Services, Contracts, and Compliance, Amaopusenibo Epelle, urged the graduates to leverage their training for personal and professional growth.

He described INTELS as “A model for corporate social responsibility in Nigeria,” urging the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity to showcase their creativity and to become role models for other women

“Develop yourselves further, improve your collections, and make good use of the knowledge gained here,” he said.

The Project Manager, WEPSS, Nancy Freeborn, highlighted the transformative impact of the initiative for years, adding that many women have walked into the training centre with dreams and left empowered with skills to achieve them.

Freeborn also spotlighted the success stories of past beneficiaries, such as Esther Wehere, who received N2 million and a shop as the 2022 Best Graduating Trainee and has employed nine apprentices with over 30 garments produced monthly

Similarly, Dorbobari Dick, the 2023 Batch A Best Graduating Trainee, has six apprentices and creates 20 garments monthly, while Hannah Brown, the 2023 Batch B Best Graduating Trainee, received a fully furnished and equipped shop to launch her fashion design business,

This year, the 2024 Best Graduating Trainee, Obarijima Lewa, was awarded N2 million and a starter kit, including an industrial sewing machine and a steam iron. Fifteen other top-performing graduates also received starter kits to kick-start their careers.