Stakeholders task youths on building skill sets to curb unemployment

To address the enormous challenges of unemployment in the country, stakeholders have reiterated the need to build competences and skills set among the Nigerian youths.

According to them, one of the ways to solve the socio-economic issues in Nigeria, is to encourage people to acquire skills and re-orientate on the imperatives of having a skill or building your livelihood on a set of skills.

Speaking at iCreate festival in Lagos, recently, Managing Director, Robert Bosch, Nigeria, Ghislain Noumbessy, said they have an initiative that grooms young Africans to become future managers of Africa.He added that Bosch Nigeria is committed to creating more jobs for Nigerian youths to curb the issues of youth unemployment.

Noumbessy said partnership with iCreate was aimed at creating awareness on the importance of technical and vocational education, skill acquisition and promoting entrepreneurship specifically among young people.

Also, Retail and User Marketing Manager, Bosch Power Tools Nigeria, Samson Ajayi, said Bosch is passionate about the development of communities where it operates.

Ajayi explained that their commitment to reducing unemployment is long-term oriented.He disclosed that they will continue to seek sustainable partnerships targeted at enhancing the livelihood of the Nigerian youths.Ajayi added that engaging the youth is the best strategy for addressing the ubiquitous skills gap.

Also, Public Relations Consultant, Damilola Michael Akinwunmi, has urged youths to explore the untapped Information Communication Technology (ICT) space.Akinwunmi said the sector could drive the economy and create more jobs for the teeming population, if properly harnessed and exploited.

“It saddens me when people tell me they do not have jobs. We run a digital economy already that presents to you opportunities from almost every part of the world. How come you still say you do not have a job as a graduate,” he added.