Some undergraduates of various universities picked up valuable lessons when they visited Multichoice office on Victoria Island, Lagos as part of the “Take a girl student to work” initiative of the South African Embassy.
The girls, drawn from the Universities of Lagos and Port Harcourt, Covenant University, Bowen University, Anambra State University, Obafemi Awolowo University, Babcock University, and the Yaba College of Technology, got the opportunity to interact with senior managers on the operations of the satellite television company.
They also toured various departments of the company to learn firsthand how things are done.
During the day, they were told of the importance of learning to communicate, build relationships, be team players, and focused, which are all essential virtues needed to succeed in the work environment.
Head of Operations Department, Mrs Hasiya Abdu, counselled the girls about work place values. She also advised them to start working on entrepreneurship ideas before they graduate, like many of their counterparts in Europe have to do.
“Find what you’re comfortable with and do it. You need to be confident in your own skin. That is what sells you. You need to be focused.
“Students are doing well in Europe. They have to work and save for their school fees. Their school fees don’t get paid. They have to take loans. Save from your monthly allowance and start doing something,” she said.
The interaction with Mrs Abdu turned to a counseling session of sorts as the students used the opportunity to express difficulties they had as young adults coping with their parents at home.
She went the extra mile to counsel the girls to build good relationships with their parents as a precursor to learning to work with superiors in the work place when they graduate.
“Communication is very important. You need to learn to build relationships. There needs to be a two-way communication between you and your parents. I know how your parents feel. I have younger ones and they spend all the time on their phones but come to me only when they need something. It is not right. You have to be the ones to have conversations with your parents. They need to know more about you.
She warned them against replacing their families with the social media.
The girls also interacted with the Public Relations Manager, DSTV, Caroline Ogbonna; General Manager Marketing, Matu Mabutho; and Human Resources Manager, Ayo Ajala.
They were told an added benefit for visiting Multichoice was the opportunity of establishing a relationship that could lead to employment for them in the firm after graduation. They met with two employees of the firm who got into the company because they had visited as students.
Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Uchegbu Ugoeze, a 300-Level Law student of the University of Lagos, said the exposure was worthwhile.
“Different people have come to talk to us on different things – like mentorship, how to discover yourself, maximising benefits from every opportunity that presents itself to you. It has been able to expose us to various activities in the work place and how to key into it and cope; bearing in mind communication is very important in the work place. If communication is lacking, it will be very difficult to work,” she said.
