In furtherance of the company’s commitment to enriching our communities by empowering the youth, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), has taken the campus edition of its Youth Empowered initiative to the University of Ibadan. The two-day workshop, which attracted no fewer than 700 participants, 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 UI, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation, and Strategic Partnerships), Prof Olanike Adeyemo commended the company for creating such a novel initiative to assist the students in preparing for life outside the school environment while also helping them harness their potentials.
“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 this 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 programme considering the impact it would have had on your career or business”, she said while speaking to the students.
In her remarks, the Sustainability and Community Affairs Manager of NBC, Ifeoma Okoye described the initiative as one of the channels that NBC employs to empower young Nigerians to succeed in life.
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.
“We noticed that most of the students in tertiary institutions found it difficult to attend the live workshops being held across different states. Now, we are bringing this programme to their doorsteps”.