By Omolola Dede Adeyanju
The West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), a non-profit organization solving the problem of youth unemployment through skill development and employment placement celebrated her 11th anniversary on Sunday held in Lagos.
This milestone marks over a decade of transformative impact on the lives of young Africans through employability skills training and career empowerment. To commemorate this remarkable achievement, WAVE hosted a celebratory event filled with engaging activities, reflection, and inspiration.
The CEO, Molade Adeniyi, during her welcome address, acknowledged WAVE’s growth over the past 11 years towards addressing the skills gap in West Africa and empowering individuals with the skills they need to thrive in the job market.
She shared insights into future plans to expand WAVE’s reach and create even greater impact with projections that WAVE will be committed to empowering 250,000 young people with employability skills by the year 2028 in West Africa.
Speaking with Newsdirect, Mrs Adeniyi highlighted the major challenges faced by the organization as the ‘unavailability of adequate funds.’ She said, “Our training is heavily subsidised so that we can reach more people but we do not have the required fundings to further our reach. We have worked with over eight state governments including Lagos State and other states within the southwest region. We believe that partnership with the government is an extensive platform to reach a large number of people.”
Mrs Adeniyi therefore called out to persons or institutions who would like to join the WAVE community or partner with WAVE to train many more young people across the country.
Furthermore, a member of the admissions department, WAVE, Kingsley Ugochukwu Edwin whose role involves in sourcing for young and hardworking people who could participate in the training, enumerated the uniqueness of WAVE amongst other empowerment platforms. He noted that WAVE stands out with her concentration on attitude training, ensuring that even the curriculum focuses on soft and attitudinal skills such as effective communication, time management, problem solving and emotional intelligence to change the mindset and behaviour of trainees towards work.
One of the highlights of the celebration was the Alumni Success Stories segment, where several graduates of WAVE’s programs took the stage to share their inspiring journeys.
The newly-elected President, WAVE ALUMNI Executives, Chineye Ibeh explained that the WAVE alumni is a community of Alumni from different batches created to connect past trainees together in order to network, get opportunities and communicate on how the Alumni can aid in moving the Academy forward.
Chineye submitted her achievements from the Academy, revealing how the soft skills she acquired during her participation helped enormously in her career path for public speaking, managing emotions at work as well as increasing her leadership skills.
Furthermore, WAVE Alumni Event Coordinator, Dorbraye Egbedi, cited the benefits of being a WAVE Trainee, he said, “WAVE helps you polish your CV and send it to employers. Also, The Alumni community is a platform to exhibit your products, services and attract potential customers from the body or through referrals.”
Other alumni detailed their challenges before joining WAVE, how the skills training program changed their lives, and the successes they have achieved in their respective industries. Their testimonies underscored WAVE’s dedication to equipping individuals with the practical skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive job market.
Thereafter, attendees participated in a vibrant Speed Networking session, designed to foster meaningful connections with one another.
The celebration also featured the prestigious Alumni Award Presentation, recognising the outstanding accomplishments of select graduates who have made significant contributions to their industries and communities. The awards not only celebrated individual achievements but also showcased the positive ripple effect that WAVE’s programs have had across various sectors.