More than 1,000 students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), have received training in digital and vocational skills as part of a workshop aimed at preparing undergraduates for post-graduation employment.
The event, held at the Hall of Mercy Auditorium on campus, was organised by the Regalo Hope Foundation (RHF), in collaboration with the FUTO Career Service Centre. Participants included students and lecturers from various faculties.
The workshop covered topics such as digital footprint, cloud computing, professional positioning, and communication skills.
Speaking at the event on Friday, Chinenye Onuorah, Founder and Project Director of RHF, said the initiative was driven by the need to address skill gaps among university graduates.
“A good number of students upon graduation do not possess necessary skills that would enhance their employment opportunity,” she said.
Onuorah urged the government and stakeholders in the education sector to prioritise training programmes that equip students to handle real-world challenges after school.
RHF’s Partnership and Communications Manager, Ooreoluwa Abiodun, said the programme formed part of the organisation’s Youth Development Workshop and Digital Skills Enhancement Programme (REDSEP), which began in 2019.
“At Regalo Hope Foundation, our impact cuts across health, technology, and education in over 20 states in Nigeria,” Abiodun said.
“We have trained over 1,037,448 young people in digital trainings and over 625,591 in vocational trainings. We have also enrolled 719 in our scholarship programme and have given economic empowerment to over 33,504 beneficiaries as well as carried out over 157,896 health testings in various communities in Nigeria.”
The Director of the Career Service Centre at FUTO, Prof. Thaddeus Ebiringa, commended RHF for organising the programme and recommended similar engagements for students across the university.
Ebiringa, of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, encouraged other organisations and individuals to collaborate with academic institutions to provide additional skill-based opportunities for students.
Some participants, including Samson Alozie, a 600-level Optometry student, and Jennifer Ohazuruike, a 100-level student of Science and Laboratory Technology, said the training was impactful and called on the university to provide more opportunities for similar sessions.
