REVERSING THE UNEMPLOYMENT TREND

A skill gap survey conducted by the federal government of Nigeria showed that vacancies existed in four sectors namely, services, agriculture, construction and transportation, but were in some cases filled by non-Nigerians because of the absence of the requisite technical skills.

However, as part of efforts to change the narrative iCreate Africa in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), BOSCH and Sterling Bank organised a skill festival to raise the profile and recognition of skilled professionals in Nigeria by rebranding and projecting the value of skills in the mainstream, while preparing youths for skills of the future.

The GIZ Nigeria and iCreate Skill Fest have reiterated the call for youths in the country to embrace skill acquisition programmes to be self-reliant. The Head of Project, GIZ, Tobias Wolfgarten said that there are lots of unemployed youths in the country, yet these huge potentialities could be harnessed in the labour market. He said, “What we are doing is collaborating with the government and private sector to fill the skills gap. Youths can build decent careers and jobs by acquiring vocational skills.

“There is a need for precision and accuracy to compete globally. So, via this platform, youths can be trained to perfect their skills and take up career paths in any field they love.”

The chief executive officer, iCreate Skill Fest, Mr Bright Jaja noted that the platform will help boost the confidence of artisans to find confidence in their chosen careers. He said via the platform artisans and skillers will update their digital skills as well as their workplace technique. The platform will bridge the gap between the government, industries, and institutions by responding to the needs of the labour market.

This is an opportunity that should not be allowed to slip off the hands.

Ayo Ajayi, Abuja