Lagos charges 5,000 RSW participants to carve niche for themselves

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Participants in this year’s edition of Ready. Set. Work, RSW, an employability and entrepreneurship training initiative of the Lagos State Government have been advised to take advantage of the programme to carve a niche for themselves in the labour market.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh gave the advice during the formal opening of the programme at the Lagos State University, Ojo on Sover the weekend.

Five thousand final year students from eight tertiary institutions in Lagos State are currently taking part in the programme at three designated centres, while 12,000 others in their penultimate years are participating online through the RSW Academy.

Institutions where the participants are drawn from are the Lagos State University, the State Polytechnic, College of Health Technology, aAdeniran Ogunsaya College of Education, University of Lagos, Yaba College of Technology, Michael Otedola College of Primary Education and a private institution, Caleb University.

Three of these institutions have been designated as training centres.

Bank-Olemoh, who pointed out that there were many resources which students could utilize to improve themselves urged the participants in the RSW programme to be focused and committed to maximize the numerous opportunities inherent in the initiative.

He said: “Your success is in your hand. You won’t go far in life, if you are the type who looks for excuses. You must strive to develop yourselves in order to go far. You have no excuses. In fact, this generation has no excuse at all with the advent of internet. You have all it takes to develop yourselves. You are the product of your dominant thoughts.”

According to him, the financial status of parents, institutions attended and other background were no longer factors that determined one’s chance of becoming successful.

He added that many successful personalities across the globe had what might be considered worst background and yet they actualized their dreams in their chosen careers, saying that “your efforts and will-power can only get you far.”

Bank-Olemoh explained that the R.S.W initiative which kicked-off in 2016 had produced more employable graduates who had been engaged by firms while some had become self-employed, adding that out of the 5,000 currently undergoing training, 2,000 of them would be given the opportunity to partake in the internships.

On the sustainability of the programme, he said that successive administrations in the state would continue to do their best to improve unemployment rate through initiative such as this, but assured that the programme  would continue for the next five years when Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is expected to be in the saddled of the state’s affairs.

Some of the participants who were visibly excited said they were ready to give it their best shots.

For thirteen Saturdays, the participants are expected to resume at their designated centres where they would be mentored and tutored by professionals from various fields of endeavours who had volunteer as faculty members.

At the end of the intensive programme, 2,000 of the participants would be placed on internship with notable companies in the State, while some others who are business-inclined would be supported with seed funding from the Lagos State Employment Fund.