To celebrate the conscious efforts and contributions of its personnel and customers to the growth and sustainability of its operations, an indigenous furniture company, IO Furniture recently held the 2018 edition of its annual Labour Day Exhibition.
The event which held in the company’s Lagos Corporate Office also featured a showcase of its products and offerings at discounted costs in a bid to enable individuals and organisations access quality products for their living comfort and organizationalefficiency.
Speaking about the event, the company’s managing director, Mrs. Muni Shonibare, revealed that it was put together to celebrate the men and women who through their efforts ensure the organization is functional and sustainable, and also to promote the local industry.
“This is about making people appreciate or be mindful of ethical work. It is an attempt to ensure that we recognize and celebrate the importance of the workforce, the client, the management and brains that go into ensuring that everything works well. Everybody plays a critical role and this is what we want to recognize and celebrate. Nobody should be left out. Sadly, in this part of the world, often times people do not seem to fully understand the effort that is required to grow and sustain a business. Business owners have to appreciate that this comes with team spirit, team efforts, collaboration and cooperation of the staff or personnel,†she explained.
Speaking further, Mrs. Shonibare, while lauding the government’s commitment to protecting the local industry, also called for a holistic approach that can drive the attainment of the goal of an economically viable and sustainable local industry.
Her words, “Our greatest challenge in this environment is the lack of skilled workforce, and every sector is affected. We just do not have the skilled resources as required for industry. It is commendable to protect and grow the local industry, but for there to be progress and wealth generation, we must have the educated and skilled workforce to drive this. We need to put in place holistic processes and take definite steps to achieve this and the first thing is to give people relevant vocational education or training as it is done in the developed nations.
This is far from the formal tertiary education we currently give. We need vocational training hubs. As it is today, we import expertise at very huge costs to the industry.â€
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called for patience in learning on the part of trainees in vocational trainings and education, just as he urged governing authorities to create vocational training centres that can produce skilled manpower that can foster economic development.
Sanwo-Olu, who led a team from his agency to the Exhibition, stated that young trainees should rather give in to adequate training in whatever vocation of choice and avoid the entrapment of short term gains through abridged programmes.
