Skill-deficient graduates, bane of unemployment in Nigeria ‒ Education expert

Education experts have identified yearly turnout of graduates without proper skills from various institutions of learning across the Country as bane of geometric increase in unemployment rate.

 

This was observed by the experts in attendance at the 2022/2023 graduation ceremony of the Royal Spices Academy Ibadan on Tuesday 

 

Experts led by Dr. Eyiwumi Olayinka from the University of Ibadan and Dr. Olufunmi Adegbile, Rector/CEO of Royal Spices Academy in their discussion expressed the need for skills acquisition in the school curriculum.

 

They submitted that emphasis must be laid on skills acquisition, describing it as a panacea to the growing unemployment rate.

 

Dr. Olayinka in her lecture entitled ” Navigating Entrepreneurial Landscape expressed dismay at which the youths are leaving the country in droves in search of greener pastures.

 

She said the country has placed high premium on paper qualification instead of promoting skill acquisition, arguing over reliance on the government for jobs creation is telling much on the economy of the country.

 

She therefore, implored the graduands to explore the Africa market rather than looking for white collar jobs that is nowhere 

 

Her charge to the graduands, ‘ There is need for you to build yourself and the world around you. The future belongs to those who can think like entrepreneurs.

 

” You must equip yourselves with the knowledge that you have acquired during your training to transform yourselves and the society at large 

 

” Knowledge, information and relationship are keys to successful life. Your relationship with people will determine how far you will go in life.

 

Speaking in the same vein, Dr. Adegbile bemoaned the present education system of turning out graduates without proper skills 

 

She, therefore, identified it as major factor responsible for the growing rate of unemployment in the Country.

 

According to her, “Life is all about taking risk and its application to a successful living. 

 

“We are at where we are today in Nigeria because we have graduated many graduands without proper skills to enable them stand on their own to give back to the system.

 

“At Royal Spice Academy, we place high premium on proper skills in order to decongest densely populated labour market.

 

A total of 87 students from different departments graduated. The breakdown shows 27 graduating with Diploma in Culinary, 38 graduating with certificates in culinary, 3 graduating with Diploma in cake making and sugar craft, 16 graduating with  certificate in cake making and sugar craft, and 1 graduating with certificate in hotel and hospitality management.

 

The list also include, 1 graduating with Diploma in pastry and finger foods and 2 graduating with certificate in pastry and finger foods.

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