The Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, LASTVEB, has inaugurated a Culinary Academy within the State Technical College Agidingbi, Ikeja for the training of students.
Targeted at providing skilled professionals who will be sought after across Lagos and Nigeria in the food, beverage, hospitality, tourism, and other relevant industries, the Culinary Academy is fitted with 50 individual work stations including gas cookers, sink, preparation area, instructors’ culinary space, theoretical training space and food presentation space.
Inaugurating the Academy, the Wife of the State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu described its establishment as a right step in the right direction as current development in the country calls for the need for Nigerian youths to acquire skills instead of relying on academic qualifications.
Dr Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by Mrs Mojisola Fashola, noted that without adequate skills, youths would not be able to take up available job opportunities.
Affirming that technical education remains the way to go to develop the nation’s economy, the wife of the Governor expressed confidence that the culinary academy would help in reducing poverty and unemployment in the country.
“I am confident that the initiative of the Culinary Academy will go a long way in reducing poverty, youth unemployment, and insecurity. It will also contribute immensely to the socio-economic development goals of the Lagos State Government in line with the THEMES Agenda. As a Medical Practitioner, I also firmly believe that this Academy will help to expose residents to nutritious meals that will enhance high quality of life and socio-economic development, thereby contributing to the human capital development objectives of Lagos State.
LASTVEB, with the mandate to oversee the five Government Technical Colleges in Lagos State, has performed commendably well in providing industry-responsive and gender-inclusive technical and vocational education for labour market and self-employment.
My charge to LASTVEB is to therefore intensify and scale up various projects and programmes targeted at attracting more youths and the general public to embrace technical education”
On her part, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, who said that the state government was deliberately investing heavily in vocational training because of the dearth of people with technical skills in the country, described the Culinary Academy as one of the purpose built schools by the State government and advised Lagosians to take advantage of the opportunities.
She said “Our Society needs more people cooking, this is Lagos, we like parties, so, there are jobs waiting for them, I think the advantages are just too many and for parents, there’s a gift in every child and sometimes the University environment is not the best place to bring forth such gift, if they are good in cooking and would become chefs in the future, why waste their time and years in the University studying unrelated courses”
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, Ms. Moronke Azeez, said the target of the Academy is to train at least ten thousand youths over the next three years in short and long term courses, while making the State Technical Colleges the preferred destinations for employers of labour.
The Chairman of the event and Chairman of the Lagos State Civil Services Commission, Mrs Olubunmi Fabamwo promised that the Commission would partner with the Academy so that interested civil servants can take courses there shortly before their retirement so that they would have something to fall back on after retirement.
A cooking competition involving popular celebrities, including actors from the Nigerian Movie Industry who were paired with students was held as part of the inauguration of the Culinary school.
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