Abdilahi Learns Graphic Design Skills

Abdilahi possessed a low computer literacy with only basics and lacked a good understanding of how computer works and are used. He and his family members never owned a computer. The closest person who belonged to a computer was his friend’s sister who resides several kilometres away from where lives. His friends who attended the course influenced him to pursue the IT skills provided by Shaqodoon. He was unaware about his tech-talent. Although he was determined to acquire the IT skills, he was worried about the procedure of enrolling the course, requiring him to pass a competitive interview. “My curiosity and repeated questions I used to ask my friends get annoyed, mainly was concerned the course and how it can be enrolled” he said. Due to his limited experience of taking interviews, he failed the exam twice. “The failure of the enrolment in Hargabits had never disappointed me to pursue the future opportunity.” Fortunately, after a continuous follow up of the next admission, he was suddenly offered the opportunity to participate in the course filling a position withdrawn by a registered student. Despite his preference over classes in the main centre which its curriculum covers distinctive areas of IT with one year of study. However, he accepted the offer of a graphic design course which was intensive with 6 months of studying.

Guled who was his teacher and deputy manager of Hargabits said, “when I was interviewing him, he seems unserious and was not having a good reason to be registered for the 2019 or 2020 cohort. I assumed he would be the first person quitting from the course. Surprisingly, he never stopped calling me and I hesitantly decided to register for course. Abdilahi’s dedication and commitment proved my assumption untrue” the trainer said. He is now one of the trainees who got a job with the acquired skill.”

Abdilahi attended the course few days after a Covid 19 restriction had been introduced including lockdown of the Hargabits school and shifting teaching into online classes. Abdilahi said, “this was really bad news for me who did not have a computer at home and whose computer skill was very basic”. He used to walk for about 40 minutes to a friend’s home to access a computer in order to take part the online classes.” He spent many hours at the night to catch up and to learn the past and current lessons while improving his computer literacy”. He now remembers an accident that happened when was going to his friend’s house to access the computer, losing his mobile phone that was taken by force by robberies. This unfortunate accident has resulted him for some time not to be able to revise the lessons at the night-time. His persistent to acquire the skill kept him going with the support of his friends with the computers. When the Covid 19 restriction was removed and Hargabits resumed normal classes, the progress he made during the break was incredibly remarkable

The internship closed the learning gap that existed, learning and practicing both new and the previous lessons -- adequately developed his graphic design skills. He chose a laptop instead of a camera, an equipment provided to the trainees upon their completion of the course. The management of the host company, Dhamays appreciated his contribution in day-to-day operations and offered him a job when he completed the two-months internship, a job that immediately was putting him to work. H request to postpone the start of the job for few months failed which put him a difficult position to make a hard choice between competing priorities; withdrawing from the high school’s final exam or declining the job offer. He said, “despite the rejection of the postponement of starting date of the new job, I never worried about getting a job with a graphic design skill which has excessive market demand”.

When he successfully completed the high school education in May 2021, he personally approached the staff of the Adeege Creativity firm which offered him a graphic design and marketing job. “The acquired graphic design skill helped me to find a job in Adeege Creativity. I joined Adeege in June 2021 when excessive demand for graphic design skill existed in market, due to digital marketing was at its peak” he stated. Abdilahi relied financially on his family, however he feels now to be fully financially independent. When he compares between his previous financial circumstance to his independence, he said “it is like coming out from a darkness”. His participation in the graphic design training helped him uncover that he had a natural talent for the technology, presently pursuing ICT study at the university. He was lucky enough to have never been experienced of unemployment for a long period. He stated, “I have now a job, a good command of the computer and a marketable skill which is now qualifies almost advanced”.

Name: Abdilahi Abdi Jama
Course: Graphic Designer 
Program: RESTORE program
Donor: EU and Sida