By Emma Okonji
GE Nigeria, a global digital industrial company has trained 250 entrepreneurs in different fields of engineering in the last two years of the commencement of its GE Nigeria Lagos Garage.
Committed to train more Nigerians, the technology company has launched an e-learning portal where interested Nigerians can log on to, interact with training instructors and apply for six weeks intensive training programme, where the initial 500 candidates would be selected and 50 shortlisted for another set of training.
The e-learning portal was launched for its Lagos Garage advanced manufacturing training program with the objective of extending the training program’s reach to thousands of Nigerians across the country.
The portal was launched during GE’s Lagos Garage Week 2018, a year-end series of events held annually at the Lagos Garage, located in GE’s Lagos office in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speaking as the special guest of honour at the GE e-learning portal launch, the Lagos State Commissioner, Ministry of Science and Technology, Hon. Hakeem Fahm, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Kayode Ogunnubi, commended GE on its collaborative partnership with the Lagos State government for several years.
According to him, “Lagos State is at the forefront of ICT development in Nigeria and the training programs like the GE Garage that equip youths with innovative skills, is one of the ways we believe we can develop the economy of the state and by extension the entire country.”
He said the state government recently sponsored 22 entrepreneurs to Washington DC in the United Sates for training that would boost skills acquisition among Nigerian youths.
Director, Communications and Public Affairs, GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa, expressed pleasure at the continued success of the Lagos Garage since inception.
“Our goal is to empower Nigeria entrepreneurs with the relevant skills required to compete on a global scale. I’m happy to say that so far, over 250 people have successfully graduated from the advanced manufacturing training program we offer here at the Garage” she said.
Obozuwa added that with the e-learning platform, interested entrepreneurs no longer have to be physically present at the Garage to benefit from the innovative training that the hub offers.
During Garage week, GE opens up its innovation hub to the public for interested entrepreneurs to register for carefully curated courses in advanced manufacturing and business development. Courses on offer introduce participants to principles of 3-D printing and rapid prototyping as well as a range of business development skills in Finance, Personal Branding, Marketing and Innovation.
