One Precious Life (OPL) Academy today held the first graduation ceremony for its Tradesman Empowerment Program (TEP), a one-month finishing program aimed at upskilling and certifying technically trained tradesmen in Nigeria.
The program, which focused on plumbers, was made possible due to the generous support of the African Capital Alliance Foundation and marked the first in a series of programs scheduled to hold this year to train 120 tradesmen in Nigeria across the fields of plumbing, electricals, masonry and carpentry.
A total of 25 students participated in the program and were sourced from technical colleges and polytechnics in Lagos as well as government-funded programs run by the Lagos State Employability Trust Fund and N-Power Federal Government Initiative.
Participants were made to undergo 140 hours of professional skills training to boost their work ethic on the job. Training modules focused on leadership and ethics, emotional intelligence, communications, entrepreneurship, critical thinking and problem solving. Other subjects covered included design thinking, digital literacy and a series of technical masterclasses.
At the end of the program, the top three graduating students were awarded scholarships to train and sit for the City and Guilds examination. Additional prize winners were given state-of-the-art plumbing toolkits.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Mrs. Uwa Osa-Oboh, a Council Member of the ACA Foundation, began by congratulating the participants on their successful graduation and encouraged them to imbibe the right attitude to work, stating that a high number of tradesmen in Nigeria are unable to achieve the best results on the job because they often lack the diligence and staying power required to finish well. The right character, she said, can take them much further in their careers than their technical skills alone.
Commenting further on the program, Ms. Oare Ehiemua, CEO of OPL Academy added: “the success of this program has further strengthened our belief that young tradesmen in Nigeria can deliver services to global standards if given access to the right skills and opportunities anchored on industry recognized standards. We are looking forward to continuing this journey of upskilling tradesmen in Nigeria and we encourage companies to support our efforts by partnering with us on our job placement programs to ensure that they gain access to the latest technology and best practices.”
Current employment partners of the Tradesman Empowerment Program include Cappa & D’Alberto, IL Bagno, Orri-Tech Nigeria Limited and Arbico to name a few.
About OPL Academy
OPL Academy is a non-profit organization providing practical and scalable solutions to meet the talent demands of Nigeria’s construction industry. Our mission is to raise the standard of skilled labor and bridge the skills gap in the construction industry in Nigeria.