NGO to Train Girls, Women on ICT Skills Nationwide

A non-governmental organisation, Women Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC) is set to train 1,180 girls and women nationwide on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills.

The Head of Communications and Research of the organization, Mr Yemi Odutola, made the disclosure on Saturday in Lagos.

According to him, the training will be conducted through W.TEC’s ‘MakeHer Space’ programme.

Odutola described MakeHer Space as a hands-on technology training project for ladies, carried out in partnership with Google.

Odutola said the initiative was designed to motivate selected ladies to create technology and engineering-based solutions that would solve problems in their communities and provide information about career options.

“The programme is designed to cater for young women mostly from lower-income households living in communities where the MakeHer Space-targeted populations reside.

“We will be training girls between ages 10 years and 17 years (in school) and ladies that are 18 years to 25 years (out of school).

“The programme is targeting 1,180 participants this year,” Odutola said.

He said that with the completion of the pilot phase, the programme would be extended from Lagos to other states, including Kaduna, Katsina, Bauchi and Abuja.

Odutola said that due to COVID-19 pandemic, virtual sessions for out-of-school participants would feature classes on electronics and digital circuit technologies, mechatronics, and problem and market research presentations.

He said that the out-of-school group programme would run for one month, with each session lasting for two hours.

Odutola said the in-school group would meet once a week for one month, adding that each session would last for four hours.

“This training is targeted at teaching girls and women to create technology and engineering-based solutions that solve problems in their communities.

“It will also help young women to develop abilities to work in teams and in engineering-centred projects, develop marketable and practical skills in art design, mathematics and critical thinking,” he added.

According to him, W.TEC will also be running a programme tagged ‘MentorHER’.

He said the programme scheduled for six months was designed to link successful women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as mentors to selected female undergraduates of those courses.

“The new cycle features mentors from all over the world, who have been mentoring our ladies from their diverse fields in STEM.

“There are 25 mentors and 25 mentees currently involved in an ongoing cycle, a bigger membership is planned for the next cycle slated to commence in the last quarter of this year,” Odutola told NAN.

He said that the organisation would also be running other programmes which would include Early Innovators for children, Staying Safe online programmes and Inclusive Technology for all (designed for physically challenged people).

January 30, 2021