INTELS Nigeria Ltd. has completed the training of 92 women under its Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS) of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme.
The Public Affairs Manager of INTELS, Rex Asaikpuka, made this known on Sunday.
According to him, the corporate social responsibility programme of INTELS (WEPSS), established in 2013, is with the vision of empowering 5,000 community women in the Niger Delta.
“The successful trainees are the second batch of 110 intakes in 2018. Seventy seven women had earlier in 2018 graduated.
“An 18-year-old Joy Tom-West, emerged the best performing trainee, winning a start-up kit which includes an industrial sewing machine, steam iron, chair, scissors, seam ripper, box of tailors’ chalk and a measuring tape, ‘’ Asaikpuka said in a statement issued in Lagos.
Mr Phillip Embleton, who represented the company’s Managing Director at the event, urged the graduates to use their newly-acquired skills for the development of themselves self and community.
He also encouraged the trainees to appreciate the dedication and hard work put in by their trainers in the course of the four months’ training under the programme.
“These are our successful candidates of the second session of the WEPSS scheme for 2018. I hope you give a big thank you to all your trainers because they have worked very hard.
“As you know, this is a community empowerment scheme, so I hope this training will help you in your careers and with your future lives; to use the skills that you have learnt for good,” Embleton said.
The Project Head of WEPSS, Miss Nancy Freeborn, described the occasion as special because WEPSS had clocked five years in November.
She said, “This graduation is a special one for us because in November 2018, WEPSS turned five.
“We are very proud to be part of the journey to success.
“This project was established in 2013 with the aim of empowering community women through the acquisition of tailoring skills.
“The project commenced on Nov. 6, 2013 with an intake of 300 rural women.
“These women were trained for a period of nine months, using different specialised machines and after that, all were retained as factory hands.
“They remained at WEPSS, working and producing garments. It will interest you to know that WEPSS has produced over 50,000 garments over this period.
“We have been able to produce this much within our manufacturing infrastructure.’’
She said that WEPSS had over the years, increased its focus on training programmes, while placing less emphasis on garment manufacturing.
In this regard, she said the centre currently absorbed a minimum of 300 trainees annually, who were taught to produce different types of garments.
“Through this scheme, INTELS has contributed to the national economy by continuously deploying materials and machines from the global market, thereby promoting Nigerian content development.
“You will be so amazed to see the types of garments that we have made here; all to international standards.
“WEPSS also donates some of its products to charity homes.
“Every year, WEPSS makes thousands of garments for different charity homes. This year 1,050 garments were donated to the Compassion Centre for the Physically Challenged in Port Harcourt,” Freeborn said.
INTELS Regional Human Resources Manager, Micheal Ndon, who was represented at the event by Gabriel Chujor, said, “It is amazing to see what you have done here. All the trainees have done so much’’.
Ndon said that the trainees must make good use of the opportunity given to them regardless of their circumstances.
He said that, “Intels management expects to hear great things from all the beneficiaries in the next few years.’’ (NAN)