The Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), has taken the campus edition of its Youth Empowered initiative to the premier university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan (UI).
The two-day workshop, which had about 700 participants in attendance, exposed the students to Entrepreneurship, Life and Networking skills to prepare them to start their own businesses or for meaningful employment.
Speaking during the workshop held at the Large Lecture Theatre (LLT) of the institution last Thursday and Friaday, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships, Prof. Olanike Adeyemo praised the company for the novel initiative to assist the students prepare for life outside the school environment while also harnessing their potentials. She urged participants to take advantage of the unique opportunity by applying themselves to further learning throughout the duration of the workshop.
“This is a big opportunity which you must take advantage of. It is an opportunity of a lifetime, which may be difficult to come by later in the future. You have to make use of the two-day workshop and apply the principles learned to your life. I am confident if you look back in five years’ time, you would appreciate the decision you have taken to be part of this program considering the impact it would have had on your career or business”, she said while speaking to the students.
In her opening remarks, the Sustainability and Community Affairs Manager, NBC, Ifeoma Okoye described the initiative as one of the channels the firm uses to empower young Nigerians.
Okoye stated that the campus version of the Youth Empowered Initiative is tailored to help undergraduates achieve their career or lifelong ambitions by providing guidance, support and mentorship as they transit from school into meaningful employment or self-employment. The modules covered in the intensive 2-day training range from project and time management to business planning, negotiation, financial literacy skills, communication and sales skills.
