Training Department: NGO Encourages Media Houses to Emulate VON

Following the creation of training department by the management of Voice of Nigeria, Media Career Development Network, MCDN, a media NGO has called on other media houses to emulate VON in taking the laudable initiative.

Lekan Otunfodurin, the executive director of the media NGO who made this call during an advocacy visit to the Government owned media establishment commended VON for taking a very needed decision to create the department.

Further urging VON Management to provide the new department with the necessary support needed and to ensure that it is properly funded to enable staff access it discharge their duties adequately, Otufodurin said the action of VON is highly commendable and should be emulated across various media platforms.

He noted that the courtesy visit to the Department was to see how his organisation would support the new VON Training department by training and mentoring of its staff.

Pointing out  that training and retraining was necessary in any organisation that wants to be relevant in the industry, Otunfodurin further  encouraged VON to not only train but to mentor as according to him, mentoring helps mind the gap.

Responding, the Director, News Department, Mr. Austeen Elewodalu  lamented that paucity of funds had made Training departments of organisations the first casualty, where trainings were always suspended.

“Regrettably, the Training Department is usually the first casualty when an organization is broke, it is not supposed to be the case, it should be well funded to discharge its responsibilities as we need to be at par with our competitors.

The Director said that all departments in a broadcasting house needs to be trained and retrained for effectiveness or the whole work of the reporters would be messed up.  He said it was for this and other reasons that VON was already retraining its staff through different in-house trainings.

He promised that VON would Partner with MCDN especially in the area of Mentorship.

Mr. Abdul-Warith Solanke, Acting Deputy Director of the Strategic Planning and Corporate Development also said that VON would be willing to partner with MCDN  when it wants to train in Broadcasting as VON has experienced  people in that area.

The NGO thereafter donated some of its publications and other resource materials to the VON Library which is under the training department.

The visiting team and VON Management team were led to the library by the Deputy Director Training, Mrs. Ugonma Cokey.

Mrs. Cokey thanked Mr. Otufodunrin and his team, and noted that “the training department was working towards upgrading the library, as well as an e- library with the help of partnerships and collaborations so it can be a research and resource centre of choice for both VON and other media houses.”