THE lingering unemployment crisis in the country can be addressed if more emphasis is placed on skills acquisition, Laolu Oguntuyi, a vocational training expert has said.
Oguntuyi who sits atop as the Chief Visionary Officer, Founder, Skill Empowerment/Entrepreneur Development Initiative (SEED), a skills incubation centre, said there is need to build skill gaps among the growing youth population in the country in order to make them competitive like their counterparts abroad.
While noting that one of the major challenges confronting Nigeria today is the high rate of unemployment among the youths no thanks to the growing population of fresh graduates which the respective institutions churn out on a yearly basis with little or no commensurate job opportunities to absolve them, warned that unless there is a conscious effort towards introducing vocational training as a compulsory choice, the lingering job crisis will persist.
Justifying the need for vocational training, Oguntuyi said. “No nation prospers without mid-level technical and vocational manpower, as it is the critical link between the technocrats and the implementation of policy.”
Vocational education, he stressed, “Must be given greater importance in Nigeria’s educational system, particularly at the primary and secondary school levels. More vocational and technical institutes must be built, so that viable options exist for those unable to get into tertiary institutions. There should be better monitoring of the nation’s skills needs and increased encouragement for citizens willing to be re-trained for new professions.”
Oguntuyi also enjoined students in higher institutions to go for industrial attachment to enhance their capacities as such opportunities prepare them for their career.
“Some of the benefits of industrial attachment include exposing the student to demand and challenges of the work place as well as gaining of practical experience, working ethics and helping the students acquire self-reliance skills required to contribute to local industry and develop work-based skills and many more.”
On the part of teachers, Oguntuyi urged them to acquire more knowledge in their area of competence for capacity development.
SEED according to Oguntuyi is a nongovernmental organisation established to empower citizens with required skills.
While further reiterating the importance of vocational training to the growth of startups, the SEED boss said, the hallmark of success entrepreneurs is that they do not believe that something cannot be done. A typical successful entrepreneur, he stressed, “Will often be the first person to arrive at the office and the last one to leave. They will come in on their days off to make sure that an outcome meets their expectations. Their mind is constantly on their work, whether they are in or out of the workplace,” he concluded.
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