Nerilus, Microsoft, and others partner with LACE Finishing School to empower youths
LACE Finishing School is a flagship program of the ‘Lighthouse Advancement in Career and Enterprise’, and its primary objective is to equip young and fresh graduates with the value orientation, knowledge, skills and aptitudes required to work effectively as a fresh hire in the workplace. With the support of partners like Nerilus International, Microsoft Nigeria, Printivo.com and others, the maiden edition of LACE Finishing School held in Lagos from June 19th to 23rd, 2017.
The School opened with a session on Personal Transformation taken by the Founder of LACE Finishing School, Ayo Daniels. Ayo is a John C. Maxwell certified leadership coach and Family matters expert with over 20 years of experience. Some of the topics covered include Leadership, How to write winning CVs, How to grant job interviews, Workplace Etiquette, Pathfinding, and Developing Confidence. Other activities include Simulated interview sessions, Syndicate sessions based on desired career-paths, Interaction with key industry leaders, and a Career fair.
Facilitators at LACE Finishing School include Microsoft Philanthropies Lead for Middle East and Africa, Olusola Amusan; Associate Partner – Learning & Development, Nerilus International, Ademola Aderibigbe; Director, Digital Strategy & Marketing, RDM Africa, Ibukun Onitiju; Founder, Job-link Foundation, Mary Dinah; Incubation Manager, CcHub Nigeria, Gbenga Totoyi; and the Managing Partner, Nerilus International, Akinwande Akinsulire among others.
About two hundred participants attended this one-week program from different parts of Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Ghana. Feedbacks from some of the participants show that the program was able to meet its set objectives. Some who attended job interviews during the program were able to put the knowledge acquired to practice while still in the program, others were able to see the mistakes they made repeatedly while applying for jobs. Overall, participants noted that the program was quite impactful beyond their expectations.
After the program, some of the partners hired candidates with relevant qualifications, while Nerilus, a management consulting and capability building firm also offered professional training scholarships to participants. The Managing Partner, Nerilus International, Akinwande Akinsulire highlighted in his remark about the program that, “in Africa, about 12 million graduates compete for 3 million formal jobs annually making it increasingly difficult to get good jobs, but for participants at LACE Finishing School who are able to enjoy all the benefits the program offers, they are already a mile ahead of their contemporaries in Africa”.
