Lagos Empowers Final Year Students with Employability, Entrepreneurship Skills

Funmi Ogundare

The Office of the Special Adviser of Education recently held the Jobs Initiative Lagos (JIL), designed as a complimentary training in​ entrepreneurship, employability and​ basic digital skills required for the​ workplace​ for penultimate and final year students in eight of the state-owned tertiary institutions.
The objective is to fill the documented gaps in the current curriculum which​ will be essential in the employment market and enhance the employability of graduates in the state.
Speaking at the programme held at​ Lagos State University (LASU), the Vice- Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ibiyemi Bello, who was represented by the​ Deputy Vice- Chancellor Administration, Prof. Adenike Boyo, noted that​ it was aimed at ensuring that students acquire the skills, get trained and have the right mentorship to succeed in their chosen career.
She recalled that the previous year witnessed students who got jobs in oil companies while congratulating them ahead.
At the programme, which featured panel discussions, various speakers from different organisations admonished the students to have the right skills and passion that would help them achieve their ambitions.
In his remarks, the Head, Department of Small Scale Enterprise, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Lagos,​ Dr. Chidiebere Igbokwe emphasised on how they could drive their innovation through entrepreneurship.
“What makes you become an entrepreneur? It is your ability to identify a lacuna and look for a profitable market idea.”
He said steps to becoming a successful entrepreneur include; writing a business plan, securing funding through contributions and cooperative, as well as launching the actual business.
A representative of Chartered Institute of Personal Management (CIPM), who spoke on ‘The New Generation of Jobs: Being a Team Player’, noted that the world of work is not just about one’s qualifications, but about skills and attitude. He stated that every employer is seeking employees who would be able to add value to their business.
He listed some of the skills needed in the 21st century to include; analytics and solution mindset, collaboration and team play, digital fluency, empathy, communication.
A research analyst and entrepreneur, Dr. Ayo Sobowale​ said though there is no generic skills,​ passion to do something is deposited in everyone.
One of the JIL Coordinator, Miss Opeyemi Farayola said the first edition of the programme was held online due to COVID-19 and that this year, the job fair was added to enable students to prepare their Curriculum Vitae (CV) and meet mentors who are specialised in various fields.
“We added the job fair because we realised that employment has been an issue,”she said, adding that there is a likelihood that most students will get jobs during the programme.
A Professor of Higher Education Management, Mubashiru Mohammed, expressed satisfaction with the programme, saying that next year would be better.