As part of efforts to tackle building collapse incidents and also bridge the skills gap in the housing sector, the Lagos State government has opened skills acquisition opportunity with plans to train 10,000 craftsmen in various skills
As a city with burgeoning real estate market, Lagos has an estimated three million housing deficit and ranks highest in the number of building collapse incidents in the whole country.
Besides the use of sub-standard materials and the tendency to cut corners, human error, which comes from the use of quacks, is a major reason frequently cited for building collapse incidence in the state.
The training opportunity, according to officials of the state government, is open to residents of the state that are above 18 years with basic training in the skills, either through technical colleges or the informal apprenticeship method.
The state’s Ministry of Housing disclosed that the selection process would be based on first come, first served and that forms could be obtained free of charge at the Director of Administration and Human Resources office of the ministry.
Kamar Olowoshago, Permanent Secretary of the ministry, explained that the initiative was by the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to ensure safe and decent homes for Lagosians.
The Perm Sec who spoke at a media briefing to mark the beginning of the master craftsman training programme, noted that the training programme was quite crucial to the state’s policy of building decent homes for citizens under the vision of making the state a 21st Century Economy.
He added that the master craftsman training programme was planned to enable residents, mainly youths in the construction trades, to update their skills and acquire other required competencies.
“This is being done to make the artisans more qualified to contribute their quota to the housing development efforts of the state. Also, the training will make them more employable and hence improve their economic well-being,” he said.
Olowoshago said the intensive six-week training programme would centre on critical construction trades, such as electrical installation and maintenance works, painting and decorating, plumbing and pipe-fitting, carpentry and furniture making and masonry (block-laying and concreting).
According to him, there would also be classes on connected areas, such as Customer Relations, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Health and Safety, adding that the training would be conducted by experts in the field who would train and retrain participants based on current trends.
He disclosed that the venues for the training programme were the technical colleges at Ikotun in Alimosho Local Council and Ikorodu in Ikorodu Local Council of the state, hoping that the programme would ensure artisans in the state could compete with others in the region.
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