By Mercy Opara

A United Kingdom-based Multinational Company; GROHE has launched its Vocational Training and Education programme aimed at upgrading the level of technical expertise in Nigeria’s plumbing industry and equipping the young generation of plumbers with the requisite skills, knowledge, and expertise.

While addressing Newsmen at the Universal Learn Direct Academia (ULDA) School in Lagos recently, Leader of the GROHE Installer Vocational Training and Education (GIVE) Academy in Nigeria, Christopher Penny noted that the GIVE Program is to help improve training facilities, and set up a fully functioning training environment where students can benefit from the brand’s vast expertise. According to him, GIVE follows a uniform approach with modern equipment, training material, and a written examination that will set new industry standards. 

Penny said that following the trend of a huge shortage of skilled installers, the programme will shorten the gap by training the youths on how to fit plumbing products correctly in their own and customers’ homes, and also in some hotel and large-scale projects. He also noted the academy is also making plans to provide work experience, job placements, and other opportunities for successful students.

In his words: “We aim to create a better future and better lives for the young students that come and learn about our products and trained on how to install them. There is a huge shortage of skilled installers globally. So what we want to do is try to shorten that gap by training more people to become plumbers. Not everybody wants to do that as a profession. So it is portraying young people doing this to make this work. Hopefully, we can shorten the gap between skilled installers.

“We want to train the plumbers to be able to fit these products in their own homes, customers’ homes, and also in some of our hotel and large-scale projects every day. We are teaching people to install products correctly and to make sure their works fit together properly.  Not just put it on the wall then walk away and leave it, you will be embarrassed because they would be a drip of water somewhere. We want to train them on how to install our products in the right way. 

“We are hoping that we will be able to help them with job placements and work experience. But we have not finalized yet, so it is very much up in the air. But we have diced our plans on what we are trying to do and we pretty much guarantee that we would be taking one or two people from this Programme to Germany with us in March next year for a competition. I think they will look forward to learning new skills, and how to use tools they have not used before. When they have graduated, our programme will give them a tool kit they will take off and use in the field and in their homes” Penny stressed.

On his part, the Visioner & Co-founder of the Universal Learn Direct Academy (ULDA) Gbola Oba, noted that many plumbers currently operating in Nigeria lack the modern-day requisite skills in plumbing activities asides from the high population of unemployed youths. He stressed that the basic objective here is the edification of the average Nigerian youth in the areas of skills empowerment and enterprise empowerment.

Gbola Oba stressed that the GIVE Programme will help equip and empower Nigerian youths to be able to stand tall and compete globally with their counterparts.

While appreciating GROHE, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), and United State Africa for Development Foundation (USADF) for creating a laudable platform and opportunity to invest in Nigeria youths, Gbola Oba stated that quality training and education are not cheap however encouraged Nigerian youths to seize the golden opportunity by enrolling for the programme in order to get a lifelong sustaining skill.

“I can afford to tell you with a degree of confidence that skills sell everywhere in the world. Today, one of the major problems as a Nigerian living in Lagos is the low quality of artisanal plumbers working in the plumbing in your house. In the UK or in Germany, the richest plumber I know in Nigeria today went to Germany as an Economic Emigrant from Lagos. When he got to Germany, because he was barely literate, he was fortunate to be trained in basic plumbing. Today he is a multi-billionaire in Nigeria because he earned the skills. That is what these people are bringing to us. And to be honest with you, I am quite happy that you are the ones who know the foundation of this school. 

“The basic objective here is the edification of the average Nigerian youths in the areas of skills empowerment and enterprise empowerment. And you know what; plumbing is one of the skills that if you have; be it in Mongolia or in Mali. If you know to do it well, you will be a person of relevance in New York or Moscow. As a plumber, this is the best form of simulation learning. We teach too many stories in Nigeria that is the reason why we are where we are. This organization GROHE has taken us further into reality.

“I always tell youngsters that I mentor, that competence is fantastically good but confidence is important in life. You will not be successful, even when you are competent and you lack confidence. This exposes an average trainee in this facility to some of the most expensive plumbing materials in the world. So if you could be able to work on this, then you will be able to work on big projects. We have a new development now in Lagos which is the Eko Atlantic. Most of the plumbing works that were done in Eko Atlantic are top-notch, being the most expensive square meter of land on the continent of Africa. People who will do projects there will be using materials like this and it is a whole city that is designed to rival Dubai. Would it be proper for us to just train boys, who can only work in Mushin?

“Quality training anywhere, education is not cheap. One of the unfortunate things sown in us in Nigeria is that either training or education will just presume it should be cheap.  Now, it is important for agencies like Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and United State Africa for Development Foundation to be investing in our youths. But all said and done, the very reason why this establishment came to be, is because some of us were born in this ghetto called Mushin.  There are still youngsters who don’t have more than a primary school education, they don’t have life skills and you know the tragedy of life. When you leave human beings out of life’s sustaining skills, they become a working humanoid time bomb. They have to survive and that is why today, most of us are paranoid when we are in traffic. An investment like this between these entities that is the funding agency and corporate entities wanting to give back to the communities where they want to function or they are functioning is quite commendable. The vision of the house which is to try as much as possible to empower our youths is what we are celebrating here. GROHE is just the champion for today” Gbola concluded.