• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Samsung plans to produce 2,000 skilled electronics technicians

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Samsung, Korean electronics giant, says it plans to produce 2,000 skilled electronics technicians in Nigeria, within the next five years.

Brovo Kim, managing director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, made this known at the first graduation ceremony of Samsung Engineering Academy held in Lagos, weekend.

The academy, a public private partnership (PPP) initiative involving Samsung Electronics and the Lagos State government through the World Bank-supported Lagos Eko Secondary

School Education Project graduated 72 technicians from the academy. The academy was created in response to the need to train skilled workforce of technicians who will become service experts empowered to create wealth. According to Kim, Samsung as a quality service-oriented company, aims to link CSR activities to sustain its level of innovation, which, he further added can only be achieved if the company invest in quality education to empower the youth in major African countries.

The graduating students drawn from Government Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja, have successfully completed one year specialised training at the academy. They were trained to repair and service modern digital electronic devices such as LCD TV’s, Smartphones, refrigerators, air conditioners and laptops among other appliances. Each graduate received a certificate of completion and certificates of achievement were also presented to fourteen students for academic excellence. The top four achievers were awarded prizes comprising of various Samsung electronics products.

Samsung Engineering Academy was launched two years ago by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State to speed up employability of African youths into the electronics job market.

By virtue of the training, the new graduates are well positioned to work in the electronics industry either as employees in repair centres, assembly lines or as independent entrepreneurs.

Kim further added, “As Samsung expand into Africa we are striving to not only act ethically, but to positively impact the communities where our consumers live.

“We believe we will have the greatest impact by connecting our CSR initiatives to our history and core business,” he said. Skilled graduates, according to him, are critical to helping the company reach its business goals, providing a workforce of technicians and exclusive service experts needed to differentiate Samsung as a quality service-oriented company.

“With the goal to grow our business on the continent, we also know that we have to sustain our level of innovation.

This can only be achieved if we invest in education to facilitate thought-leadership in Africa,” Kim added.

Addressing the graduands, Ronke Azeez, special adviser to the governor, Lagos Eko Secondary Education Project said, “It is heart-warming to see the graduation of the first set of students from the academy. These graduates have been equipped with the world class skills to build a better future for themselves and to play an integral part in driving the economy of the state forward. The partnership between Lagos Eko Secondary School Education Project and Samsung Electronics is one of quality and excellence.”