How iCreate Africa Is Championing Technical And Vocational Skills For Artisans
iCreate Africa, a social enterprise and skill advocate, says it is out to promote technical and vocational skills for artisans in Nigeria, describing skills as a global currency and a tool fashioned to empower young people to create sustainable and inclusive economies.
For this reason, the company will be gathering artisans for their annual conference and exhibition tagged SkillFest which, they say, has proven to be an eye-opening experience for participants/competitors through its promotion of trades and professions.
Skillfest also supports the point that skills acquisition is an important sustainable solution to Nigeria’s high rate of youth unemployment, skills shortage, and industrialization. Previous editions of the event featured competitions in which artisans participated in groups of various crafts such as Plumbing; Masonry, Tiling, Electrical Wiring, Furniture; Welding & Fabrication, etc.
“This edition of the conference is aimed to address the huge skill gap in the built environment; it will be the second time the event will be executed on the ‘Builders Show’ banner. The Builders Show concept is novel and first of its kind designed with multifaceted features which include panel discussions and paper presentations on topical issues bothering on skills in the built environment.
“It also features competition amongst artisans from various trade professions, and exhibition by both public and private sector organizations in the built environment,” Bright Jaja, Founder/CEO, iCreate Africa, said.
Jaja said that the unique quality of the event and its value proposition is its celebrity outlook never experienced in the industry, adding that artisans and their crafts will be showcased to stakeholders in the built environment through a contest amidst glitz and glamour in which the best-performing artisan will be awarded medals, trophies, and financial rewards.
“After successfully hosting five editions across the country and impacting thousands of youths, we have recorded significant gains by closing the huge gap between supply and demand of professional skill with the SkillFest event. Chief amongst the gains include training artisans on proficiency, professionalism, image, safety, and billing.
“We have supported several successful building projects by providing artisans with the quality skillset, thereby mitigating certain risks to the advantage of contractors and project owners. The forthcoming edition will be exponential,” Jaja said.
A 2019 member of the Forbes 30 Under 30, Jaja called for support and partnership in the forthcoming edition of the Builders Show.
He said the skills competition, which is modelled after the Olympics, will feature the participation of Ten African countries competing across various construction trades for the title of ‘African Skills Champion.’ These countries are Ghana, the Republic of Benin, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, The Gambia, and South Africa.
“This year, the event is about creating a new genre of entertainment where the new stars are construction artisans across the African continent,” Jaja said.
Source: businessday
