July 1, 2023

Watching my 5-year-old nephew as he nervously but excitedly untied the blue-ribbon wraps on his birthday gift, wide eyed and with the broadest smile I had ever seen on his face, left me overjoyed. The look on that face was everything! There is truly a joy that proceeds from expectancy. A palpable joy especially when one has benefited from the Skillupimo project-an initiative of the Hope Uzodinma led administration in Imo state designed to train and equip Imolites with relevant Industry 4.0 digital skills set to position them as leading key players in the evolving global digital economy. In little less than 7 months, the project has trained and equipped 5,000 Imolites in its first cohort and an additional 15,000 in its second cohort which is about rounding off. Yet, it is thought-provoking that the skillupimo project came first to lay a foundation for other surprises in store for Imo Youths. And because we still want to maintain that surprise element till its formal launch, I’m just going to partially unveil……. So, after skillupimo, what next? Read moreMinistry floats Skillupimo challenge Well, here goes……………. “The next big project to be unveiled after skillupimo by Imdeeg is called TECH TALENT TO JOBS (TT2J) project”. A technology driven training programme, Tech Skills to Jobs is targeted at equipping Imolites with specialized knowledge and expertise required to perform specific tasks. A precursor to the massive job creations soon to hit our state, it serves as that much needed open door to limitless opportunities to high paying local and international jobs.Well, it is no longer news that SkillupImo graduates are in high demand by Tech firms and the government, hence this much needed high-profile connection. I said all these to say that, despite skillupimo being the prime and notable project that placed Imo as the leading digital skills acquisition state in Nigeria with several awards recognitions, Tech Talent To Jobs (TT2J) initiative guarantees to surpass it. Unravelling all the surprises accompanying this new reveal, I’m certain will leave a whole lot of you wide eyed and chessin’ from cheek to cheek’ just like my cute nephew. So, at this point, let me put a gag on it.Afterall, like the saying goes, moments of happiness come with the unexpected.