As part of its drive to provide practical entreprenuership solutions to youths in order for them to be independent, skillful and financially buoyant, Gazelle Vocational Academy recently graduated her maiden set of students.
Muna Onuzo, founder of Gazelle Vocational Academy while speaking at the graduation ceremony in Lagos said the concept of vocational institutions was to bring hope to the youth of Nigeria.
Onuzo said the 20 students graduating today didn’t just graduate with a certificate but skills to better their lives adding that at present they were in partnership with industrial training fund while looking to partner with government and corporate organisation to implement their community sustainable developmental programmes.
“We know that government on its own cannot do enough, so we hope to partner with them to help them actualise their social enterprise vision because we have the platform for them to strive on. We’ve been accredited and certified by the federal government as a vocational training centre and we hope that organisations would see credibility in that to partner with us in delivering their suitability projects.” She said.
“We give our students the ability to stand and build their business. We start by teaching them the skills of the trade and then we empower their mind so that the inner disabilities won’t limit them from actualising their true potential. We also teach students how to run a business that is clean, sustainable and viable,” she explained.
Although they appreciate and encourage students with at least SSCE certificates, she insisted that their gate was open to anybody willing to improve him or herself.
In next five years, Onuzo hoped they have franchises within the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
“That is the future and that is where we are going. It is not about Lagos State; we already have a plan and we are already working at it. We’ve have programmes that we put in place to support the franchises once they key into the project. We are coordinated and we know where we are going. “
She called on the government to include skill acquisition into the Nigerian educational system, especially in the secondary schools, to reduce the alarming rate of unemployment.
