It was a bustling arena at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Ogba, Lagos, on Friday, March 1st, 2024, as students of the institution displayed and marketed various handmade products.
The exercise which took place on the school field was to mark the Vocational Skill Training (VST) exhibition exercise for the 2023/2024 academic session.
Recall that the VST programme, facilitated by the institution’s Entrepreneurship Development Center, started on Friday, January 12th, which allowed students a weekly three-hour window to learn any chosen trade skill under experienced facilitators in the provided field.
The exhibition exercise was to crown the programme as the first semester is winding up.
Classes that took part in the activities were the two levels of the National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, under various skill sets such as shoe making, bead making, blogging, photography, fashion design, graphics design, barbing and catering.
The products on display included keyholders, pearl beads, crystal necklaces and bracelets, flyer and banner designs, picture frames, flour snacks, head bonnets, aprons, and custom dresses. Students also offered on-the-spot services such as barbing, makeovers, complimentary card design, and the creation of personal blogs.
The Deputy Provost of the institution, Dr. Adeboye Ola, was accompanied by the Head of Department of Mass Communication, Mr. Micheal Osuji; Coordinator for Entrepreneurship Centre, Mrs. Bisi Bamishe; Mr. Tolulope Ojemuyiwa (PRO) and lecturer, Mr. Anthony Oligbo, to assess the products on display.
While inspecting the various stands, Dr. Ola commended the students’ willingness to learn new things. He stressed the need to consider target markets before placing high prices on products.
“I want you all to put yourself in the position of the buyer and be sincere with yourself when pricing your products. It is better to sell at dozen price to make it more convenient for people to patronise you. It is a strategy to increase sales.”
During the session, Mr. Osuji recalled his experience at other schools’ exhibition programmes and noted that NIJ students did well. He, however, queried the fashion design group for neglecting men’s wear and focusing on female dresses only.
In his words, “This is a very interesting skill, and anyone who knows how to sew will make money.” Osuji said
Reacting to the exercise, the President of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Oluwatosin Awelewa, revealed that the performance of students was below par compared to previous editions. He said this is due to the current economic situation of the country.
“Raw materials that were sold for say, ₦50 last year have quadrupled in cost now. So the economic situation of the country badly affected the performance of students at the exhibition for this edition,“ Mr Awelewa revealed.
According to the SRC boss, the silver lining of the situation is that students were, at least, able to add to their knowledge by acquiring skills to earn income.
“I’ve seen so many students wearing bad footwear. So with my knowledge of shoemaking, I can come up with a business idea, sell shoes to students and make more money to support my education,” Winnie Abimbola, an ND1 student commented.
The Vocational Skill Training is part of the institution’s academic arrangement for every session, ensuring that every student has an opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential.