About 200 women who were freely trained at the Women Empowerment Programme Scheme Synergy (WEPSS), an INTELS Nigeria Limited corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, have graduated and ready to begin their businesses.
The institution, located within INTELS facility at the Onne Free Zone, Rivers State, has been churning out well trained women in the areas of industrial overall and allied sewing productions over the years.
Costs of the training are borne completely by the company and whereas many of the graduates are usually employed and retained, others that wish to establish their sewing enterprise are empowered to do so as part of the CSR of the company.
Details of the graduation showed that about 100 of the women completed the 20-weeks training in June while another 100 completed it in December 2017.
The graduates went through intensive training in fashion design and tailoring under the tutelage of world-class professionals.
Director of INTELS Nigeria Limited, Mr. Silvano Bellinato, said the company established WEPSS in 2013 as a CSR initiative, with the vision of empowering 5,000 community women over a 20-year period through training in fashion design and tailoring.
According to him, “INTELS acquired and made available over 300 sewing and specialized machines and built a 5000-square metres garment manufacturing factory at the Federal Lighter Terminal, Onne for the purpose of the training”.
“Some of the women who previously graduated from the programme have become gainfully employed at the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone as manufacturers of coveralls and personal protective equipment (PPE) for companies in the zone.
“WEPSS is run by a team of highly skilled indigenous manpower. It has so far produced over 50,000 garments within its manufacturing infrastructure. These apparels include shirts, T-shirts, skirts, trousers, jackets, uniforms and coveralls.
“In line with our commitment to the upliftment of our communities’ socio-economic status and backed by its success over the years, WEPSS has evolved into an intensive tailoring training program for the women.”
Continuing, Bellinato noted that “In keeping with its goal of empowering 5000 women over a 20-year period, an annual expansion rate of 25–50% in the number of intakes in the first five years of opening the training center is being achieved in milestones”.
“WEPSS increased its annual number of intakes in 2017 to 200 students per annum extending this initiative to include rural women from different parts of the country.”
While revealing that the number of beneficiaries will be increased to 250 women this year, INTELS boss averred that “WEPSS has been able to nurture the talents of women from both the urban and rural areas through their empowerment and employment and through encouraging the manufacture of ‘Made in Nigeria’ apparels of high quality international standards”.
“This empowerment helps the women contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic development and non-oil revenue drive,” he said.
Business Hilights also gathered that apart from training women in fashion design and tailoring, WEPSS also incorporates essential soft skill trainings such as personal effectiveness, team work and team building skills, goal setting and achievement, personal hygiene, health and fitness, among others.
