Gazzelle Academy, Fidelity Bank empower 200 undergraduates

Gazzelle Academy Centre in partnership with Fidelity Bank recently trained over 200 University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN) undergraduates to acquire skills in fashion designing and makeup.

Speaking at the event, founder, Gazzelle Academy, Muna Onuzo, said, “the programme is aimed at equipping the students with skills that they could use while still in school or after graduation. It is targeted at making students self-employed. We divided them into two groups with the first group learning fashion, tailoring and stoning, while the other had makeup artistry.

Stating reasons her organisation was involved, she disclosed: “For us, at the Gazzelle Academy, investing in the Nigerian youths by empowering them with practical skills and enterprise training that complement their university education gives us a sense of purpose. With corporate organisations retrenching their workers, we believe the youth should be equipped with at least one practical skill that would give them a fighting chance to survive if they are not able to find a job after graduation.”

Onuzo informed that aside the main skills for the project; the students were also taught pricing, branding, positioning, finance and marketing.

While those that were trained on fashion got sewing machine and pressing iron each, their counterparts went home with makeup kits.

Onuzo disclosed that participants would be monitored through an interactive forum on its website.