In line with its commitment to education and youth development, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell Milk, LoyaMilk, Onga and other dairy products, recently held a secondary school career guidance workshop tagged “Harness Your Dream.”
Speaking at the maiden edition of the project at the Oregun Junior High School, Ikeja, Lagos, the Permanent Secretary/Tutor General, Lagos State Education District Six, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Onadipe commended PNL for what she described as a “noble idea,” while urging other corporate organisations to emulate the company.
She said: “I am very excited about the initiative. I am glad to know that a corporate organisation like Promasidor is thinking in this direction. We need to nurture the kids as they grow. It is about catching them young. When we help them to nurture their career interests, they grow up with a clear picture of what they want to do. I am so happy with Promasidor Nigeria for this noble idea, and I pray that other companies will do a similar thing. The participants are currently in Junior Secondary School class three. What this means is that they already know exactly the subjects they will focus on in their senior classes.”
According to Onadipe, to develop an education system that is relevant to national development and industrial growth, private sector operators needed to support government’s efforts so as to boost career awareness among students.
In his address, the Managing Director, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Mr. Anders Einarsson said that the programme would help the students to marry their passion and talents to make the right choice, adding that ‘Harness Your Dream’ targets JSS3 students because of the sensitive nature of the class.
Einarsson, who was represented by the company’s Head of Legal and Public Relations, Mr. Andrew Enahoro said: “It is a catch-them-young scheme. This implies that the young people who go through the process will have the rare opportunity of subjecting their options to a clinical test before they start learning the essential subjects required to be the best in their chosen professions.”
He further said: “The programme is an interface between students and experts who have excelled tremendously in their careers, each giving the students hands-on experience. This is worthwhile at a time when the gap between theory and practice is widening. This will also create an opportunity for mentorship that will last for a lifetime.”
Einarsson disclosed that the programme is one of Promasidor’s initiatives to impact directly on children. Describing it as a pilot edition, he said the company was committed to its success as a pan-Nigerian project.
The Principal of the school, Mrs. AdenikeOresanya, said the students left the workshop more enlightened about their career options. She was particularly happy with emerging careers such as Information and Communication Technology, which the students were exposed to.
Other careers that featured during the ‘Harness Your Dream’ session were Accounting (Business Financing and Management), Digital Marketing, Human Resource Management (Personnel Management and Talent Acquisition), and Business Management and Entrepreneurship.
Staff members of PNL were the resources persons at the career workshop.
