The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) in partnership with Honeywell Group (HGL), has selected 260 beneficiaries for the Lagos Innovate Talent Development Programme from a pool of over 1000 applicants at an event held at the Watercress Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. 

In its bid to facilitate the growth of Africa's tech ecosystem, increase youth employment and support the development of entrepreneurial talent, Honeywell Group continues its partnership with LSETF on the Lagos Innovates Talent Development Programme for the third year running, to train young men and women between the ages of 22 and 40. The 24-week training will provide selected applicants from within the state access to global tech skills like programming, tech-focused entrepreneurship content, and mentorship.

The selected participants will have access to mentorship from industry leaders and hands-on training in full-stack development for mobile applications, full-stack development for mobile applications, Python Programming for web, data science, frontend design, full-stack, web development, and relevant tech-focused entrepreneurship courses. 

Speaking at the event, Honeywell Group’s Head, Corporate Services, Tomi Otudeko said: “At Honeywell Group, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to young people in our community and a commitment to creating opportunities for them to thrive. Through this strategic partnership with LSETF, we aim to tackle the unemployment rate in Nigeria by increasing youth employability and contributing to the development of passionate young people looking to leverage the growing tech ecosystem to solve problems and generate innovative solutions on a global scale. ” 

She told the participants, “Congratulations on taking the first step. You are joining a network that wants to see you grow. Don't take this opportunity for granted. Give your best during the training and remember that you are an ambassador of the programme.”

Past beneficiaries of the programme highlighted their experiences and encouraged the new participants of the programme to focus on their learning. A participant stated that two weeks into the programme, she was able to translate her training into real value. She commended the sponsors and the training school, Dataleum, for their investment in making them better professionals. 

Sheila Ojei, Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Stakeholder Management at Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), speaking at the event said, “Congratulations on taking this bold step to learn the fundamentals and skills you need to improve your market value. The selected applicants went through a rigorous screening process to ensure we had the best minds. LSETF and Honeywell Group have been working together with the clear goal of ensuring that people get jobs. We are keen on being the lead enabler of employability in Lagos State” 

77 of the selected participants will begin classes on September 20, 2022. Cohort B and cohort C will commence concurrently at a later date. There is also a rolling application for the fourth batch of participants. 

Training partners include Skill Paddy, The Nest, DesignU, Seed Builders Innovation Hub, SlateCube, Softwork Freelance Network, Univelcity, Dataleum and Torilo Academy.