As part of efforts to enhance the quality of career choices among secondary school students in the country, Etisalat Nigeria recently organised a career counselling session for some students in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The career-focused event, which held at the Conference Hall of Community Comprehensive Secondary School, Rumuokwurushi is a CSR initiative of the company aimed at enlightening students on existing career opportunities across various fields and guiding them with adequate information thereby helping them to secure their future.
It featured career-enlightenment talks from resource persons drawn from the Etisalat Employee Volunteering Scheme, a platform through which Etisalat staff impact students within its host communities by delivering career enhancing sessions and mentorship to students in secondary schools.
Speaking at the one-day event, the Manager, CSR, Etisalat Nigeria, Oyetola Oduyemi, said the career counselling initiative speaks to the commitment of the company to partner relevant authorities and organisations in driving sustainable national development through education, health and environment while singling out education as a core pillar due to its pivotal role in bringing about development.
“Etisalat Nigeria is passionate about driving sustainable national development and does this by building on the platforms of education, health and the environment. Etisalat Nigeria has faith in the youth of Rivers State; they represent the hope of a brighter tomorrow. And that is why we are making this investment of time and resources. We want them to believe in themselves and accept that the world is at their feet.”
Oduyemi, who revealed that over 7,500 students have benefitted from the programme since inception seven years ago, also identified choice of career as a key determinant of success in a child’s life after school.
Also speaking, the Principal of the host school, Mrs. Justina Dappa, thanked the company “for towing the honourable path of helping students resolve the confusion that usually surrounds the choice of careers,” just as she admitted that the students face enormous challenges while making the transition from secondary to tertiary education.
Some of the students also expressed delight at the quality of information the programme offered them.
Godspower Peter, a senior secondary three (SS3) student said, “the programme has transformed my life in many ways. I want to be a lawyer and I have been taught what to do and how to go about my studies to enable me achieve my goal.”
Career counselling is one of the platforms through which Etisalat demonstrates its commitment to achieving the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on quality education.
