Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

Academy creates solutions to empower disadvantaged graduates

By Ujunwa Atueyi
11 January 2018   |   3:06 am
Managing Director of Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA), Mr. Asher Adeniyi, has urged Nigerian graduates to key into “Career KickStart Programme,” as it has the capacity to equip them with skills needed in the cotemporary work environment. Adeniyi in a chat with journalists assured that the innovative solutions embedded in the programme will help empower…

Empowerment

Managing Director of Poise Graduate Finishing Academy (PGFA), Mr. Asher Adeniyi, has urged Nigerian graduates to key into “Career KickStart Programme,” as it has the capacity to equip them with skills needed in the cotemporary work environment.

Adeniyi in a chat with journalists assured that the innovative solutions embedded in the programme will help empower youths from poor background with employability and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills as well as expose them to internships and permanent job placements.

He said the programme is designed to help disadvantaged youths become competitively employable in the labour market by improving access to quality learning and job opportunities.

He said, “Our experience is that these disadvantaged youths lack experience in the formal job market; and face several self and social discrimination on the basis of gender, disability, race or ethnicity amongst others; and are often geographically isolated with poor access to quality education and job opportunities.

“Between 2016 and 2017, 528 unemployed graduates in Lagos and Edo State have been sponsored by OXFAM to be trained under the Career KickStart programme. Over 50 per cent have gained employment while others are currently been connected with several job opportunities. The programme is embedded with the responsibility of bridging the gap between the knowledge gained from the formal educational sector and the knowledge, skills and abilities required to function effectively in today’s global work environment.”

Adeniyi further explained that the Career Kickstart programme is a three-week intensive employability-training programme, which offers applicants from underprivileged backgrounds and rural areas opportunity for intensive interview sessions to attain the level of intelligence and determination of the individual to further his or her career.

Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of Poise Nigeria, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said the firm has been sponsoring disadvantaged youths in Nigeria with the backing of OXFAM and Work-In-Progress Alliance for over two years and has plans to help more youths.

She added that many young people face difficulties in finding a job because of the mismatch between their education and labour market requirements, saying that innovation; technology and market developments have turned the world of work into a fast-changing environment.
 
“There is a need to equip a growing young workforce with skills required for the jobs of the future, not to mention re-equipping the current workforce with the skills required to keep up with a changing world. This workforce however must not be limited to the advantaged youths but the disadvantaged who find themselves in an unfavorable situation as a result of unfriendly economic factors,” she stressed.

0 Comments