YOUTHCAN! AN IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERISM

By SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria Media

In a recent graduation ceremony for 25 young participants at the DuluxPainter’s Academy held in Lagos; in line with a partnership agreement between SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria and CAP Plc for a project called YouthCan!, Managing Director of CAP Plc. Mrs Elemide, stated that the project gives opportunity for staffs to impact on the lives of younger generation that can ultimately continue as a cycle for generation onward.

Recognizing SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria for their good work in ensuring that vulnerable young persons in the society have a solid platform to thrive, Mrs Elemide reiterated that CAP PLC remains committed to improving the quality of life of people and the environment through the quality of the brand and their contributions to the society. The National Director of SOS Nigeria, Mr Eghosa in his response, appreciated the management of CAP PLC for taking up the YouthCan! partnership and mentioned that though it is the responsibility of government to provide leverage of this kind toNigerian youths to be empowered, the rate of unemployment has gonebeyond what government alone can handle and as such, the Dulux Painters Academy is relevant in the society.

Eghosa also charged the graduands on the need for them to upscale their skills to make themselves relevant in a fast moving and technologically driven world; explaining that academic prowess alone is no longer adequate for the average youth to excel especially with the current economic downturn in the country. He further encouraged the youths to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the academy to build their business mindset by mastering and gaining more insight to develop their entrepreneurial skills, ensuring best practices and insist on quality in their chosen endeavors.

The YouthCan! is a project of SOS Children’s Villages International, which leverages on corporate partnerships and it is designed to address the gaps faced by young people in determining their career path in life; through developing the right set skills and capacities to thrive in the employment and business sector. The YouthCan! Which was also recently launched in Nigeria began its first corporate partnership with CAP PLC and this is a trickled down arrangement from their international Partners Akzo Nobel – Global partners for the YouthCan! project.

Some participant namely Emmanuel, Oladimeji, Kehinde and Eunice shared their experiences on the programme, with stories of a worthwhile training and field engagement and promised to adapt the skills acquired into use to make better life for themselves, as the training has instilled technical skills and business confidence in them. They equally thanked the academy’s principal, facilitators, CAP PLC and SOS Nigeria for the opportunity given to them.

The 25 pioneer participants of the YouthCan! partnership of the Dulux Painters Academy are among the total of 49 young people to have graduated since the inception of the academy in 2014. The Dulux Painters Academy is one of the two pillars of the corporate social responsibility projects of CAP PLC, for the YouthCan! partnership.

While the second, known as the ‘Let’s Colour Project’ will commencesoon. In this second project, a designated building will be identified among buildings in the communities where CAP PLC operates for paint rehabilitation. Hence one of the facilities of SOS CV Nigeria in Lagos has been identified for rehabilitation and work will begin in September, 2017