The teeming youth population and other residents of Edo State have been handed a mobile application that will help them learn profitable creative skills at their own pace and convenience.
The app, called EdoJobs Skillup, was created by the Edo State Skills Development Agency in partnership with the French Government, Wazobia and made available to all smart phone users within and outside the state from January 24th, 2022.
The app combines innovation and smooth user experience to provide an atmosphere for learning and creativity.
Announcing the availability of the app to users via the Instagram page of the agency, the Managing Director, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said: “This application is designed to provide creatives and intending creatives with training, materials and courses they require to qualify for opportunities in the creative industry.
“At the moment, the courses include entrepreneurship in the Music industry, shooting and editing a movie, entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative industries. We will unveil other courses soon.”
Explaining the rationale behind the app, Ukinebo said: “We partnered with the French Government to build the app because Covid changed the world as we used to know it. More people are now working remotely as companies try to keep up with the realities of the pandemic world.
“This has also closed the gap between employers and potential employees as we see increased demand for services in the creative industry. The decision was also aimed at increasing access to skills programs for people in the Edo creative industry to help them access good paying jobs.
“We have developed unique courses in partnership with some of the top academies in the world, French investors, and with the support of the French Government.”
EdoJobs began as a job creation initiative of the Godwin Obaseki administration. In 2019, the bill establishing it as a full government agency was passed and it was renamed the Edo State Skills Development Agency, and tasked with matching qualified candidates with job vacancies across the state, driving skills development among workers in the state and conducting entrepreneurship trainings.
According to CBN, the Nigerian creative industry is the second biggest in the country with revenue of about 4.5 billion dollars, and the numbers only keep climbing.
This means that creative skills are currently in high demand, and to this end, Obaseki has provided the Victor Uwaifo creative Studio and Sound Stage which is a hub for all creatives resident in Edo State. The goal is to drive creative investors into the state, and build a talent-based youth population to meet the coming demand.
For EdoJobs, the focus for 2022 is to drive massive up-skilling of private workforce to provide skilled and semi-skilled services required to make the state the commercial hub Obaseki promised.
Already, Nigerian film production company, ROK Studios, has partnered with EdoJobs to train residents to be members of the production crew and cast in its upcoming project – Blood of Enogie.
Governor Obaseki’s Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) agenda, is being vigorously pursued with several key interventions along the five thematic pillars, namely; Economic Revolution, Institutional Reform, Social Welfare Enhancement, Infrastructural Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Culture and Tourism.
