MULTICHOICE Nigeria has exposed 20 female undergraduates of the University of Lagos to its business environment and operations through the Take a girl student to work initiative.
The initiative, conceived by the South African Consulate General in Lagos to hold yearly, is a day when young female students across institutions of learning in Nigeria are exposed to the realities of the workplace.
They get the opportunity to spend a day at work by visiting corporate offices, government departments, and many other businesses in Lagos during which they interact with professionals on the field so as to give the learners a true picture of the work environment and expose her to different career options available in the market place.
Addressing the 20 participants, all final year students, at the company’s premises in Lagos, Head of Public Relations Multi Choice Nigeria, Mr Segun Fayose said: “The initiative is coming against the background that over a long period of time, the girl-child has been disadvantaged in comparison to the male child. So the initiative is an attempt to strike a balance to make the girls catch up with the boys in the corporate world.
“So this project is to expose you to what happens in the corporate world immediately after your National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) because all of you here are final year students.”
Praising the initiative, one of the participants Nduku Ngozi an Accounting student, said she now knows how a business environment operates.
“What we usually learn in class is more of theory than practical. For me, coming here has really exposed me to the situation and happenings in the business firm.”
Another student, Obiageli Ndu – Walter of the Cell Biology and Genetics department, said she has learnt to be confident.
“We were taught entrepreneurial skills, and to be confident for you to excel in that business. This initiative is really an eye opener. It dawned on me that certificate is not enough; and that you need to build yourself skillfully to suit the environment around you,” she said.
Abiola Adesanya, a Zoology student, urged Multichoice to sponsor an education programme in their school which will benefit students.
“A career forum can be of help in my school where ideas will be shared and students impacted with knowledge. This initiative has also shown me that for you to face challenges you need to be strong, stand out even when critics try to pull you down.”
MultiChoice Media/External Relations Executive Mr Timothy Okwu said that about seven staff of the company once participated in previous initiative, in which he invited one of them forward to share her experience with the participants.
