The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has partnered the Innovation Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development (ICLED) to equip over 140 students with future-ready skills in a move to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry demands.
The initiative reflects a growing demand to prepare Nigerian graduates for the evolving demands of the global workforce.
Afolabi Leshi, deputy vice-chancellor in charge of development services, who represented Folasade Ogunsola, the vice-chancellor at the University of Lagos, speaking at the UNILAG –ICLED Career Services Programme on Tuesday, September 9, said it is meant to upskill students on soft-skills such as how to attend interview, team building, and leadership skills, which are not in their formal academic courses; so that they can be employable.
“One of the challenges now is that people are getting degrees and are not employable because they lack certain soft skills that are not taught in any of the disciplines, whether undergraduates or postgraduates.
“What the vice-chancellor wants to achieve is to ensure that every student, both undergraduates and postgraduates, is work ready,” he said.
Besides, Lesi emphasised that the university hope to tap from the students ideas on how to tackle unemployment in Nigeria, which he described as an empirical segment in the programme.
“We want to ensure that our students are ready for employment or to be employers by becoming job creators.
“More importantly, we hope to tap from their own ideas of how to solve the unemployment crisis that we have,” he noted.
Lesi applauded the ideas contest geared towards eliciting solutions to tackle unemployment crisis in Nigeria through the students.
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“I believe Nigerian problems will be solved by Nigerians, and the students are leaders whose knowledge can be tapped to solve the country’s problems.
“I think we need to start listening to our youth. Of course, they need guidance. But I think they also have ideas and that’s what I think will make a difference,” he noted.
Olajumoke Familoni, a professor of entrepreneurship, and the president/provost of ICLED Business School emphasised the urgency of bridging the gap between higher education and employability.
“This programme is more than just training, it’s about transforming students into confident, skilled professionals who are prepared to compete in today’s global workforce and contribute solutions to one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges: graduate unemployment,” she said.
Familoni explained that the contest themed; “Solving the Graduate Unemployment Crisis in Nigeria: The Way Forward,” is designed to showcase the practical skills, professional exposure, and entrepreneurial readiness the penultimate and final year students of UNILAG have gained in the skill-up initiative training given by ICLED Business school.
She emphasised that the students were exposed to soft skills training in four tracks area such as communication, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and decision making and problem solving.
Others include branding, CV, resume writing and profiling; the right search, where to search and the Gig economy, the attributes of leadership, and team building, among others.
The ideas contest judges was head by Marilyn Wayne-Pockett, a renowned entrepreneurship coach from the United States of America.
Ayodele Shittu, director at the UNILAG’s Office of Career Development and Services (OCDS) explained that over 400 students registered for the programme but only 140 could complete the training and were divided into 13 groups for their ideas contest.
Vivian Akerele, one of the participants said the training has helped her in the areas of multi-tasking coordination.
“I have learned to coordinate my many activities as a creative artist, who is multi-tasked,” she said.
Boluwatife Cole, a film-maker, and writer expressed gratitude to the university and ICLED for the programme which she said has improved her communication and leadership skills.
