Gilbert Ekugbe
The Lagos State Government (LASG) has gone into partnership with Knowledge Exchange Centre (KEC) to empower over 1500 Lagos youths with employability skills.
The move according to both parties was aimed at developing their employability skills as well as increasing their chances of securing employment opportunities.
Speaking on the sidelines of a job fair organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, tagged “Connecting youths with job opportunities,” the Executive Secretary, Knowledge Exchange Centre, Mr Oluwatosin Ogunsanya, explained that its five year partnership with the State have so far exposed young graduates and job seekers to employment organisations that can help them find career guidance and opportunities and even to get employed.
“We are looking at in excess of over 500 to 1500 youths to attend this event and success will be that over 30 per cent of them get employed or get opportunities to learn how they can be employed,” he said.
In his words, “The Ministry has about a target of over 10,000 in the last five years and we have been able to work with them to get some numbers out of that. The ministry is very aggressive with their approach to reducing unemployment in Lagos State.”
Advising the present administration on the best way forward to tackle unemployment in the country, he advocated a diversification of strategy to meet the tailoring needs of the nation, lamenting that there is a lot of skill gaps in vocational skills
“It is time we have a diversification of our strategy to meet the needs of the country. There is a lot of shortage in vocational skills, skills of artisans in the country are dying and they are businesses that can thrive. I think vocational training and access to after school education will help with employability,” he stressed.
Also speaking, the Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment Akinyemi Bankole Ajigbotafe, said the direct connection between job seekers and employers provided by the fair would greatly reduce unemployment in the State.
“This is why we organised this job fair because we believe it can be a great chance for some people to connect with an organisation and start a successful future together.
“The fair is one of the many opportunities in Lagos State because of the State’s enormous human and material potentials. We must all work together as stakeholders to fully realise these potentials for the benefit of the State and its residents,” he urged.
According to him, the world was changing quickly with increasing needs for job creators while expressing hopes that the job fair would empower youths with vocational skills that are marketable.
“I will also urge you to keep thinking creatively and work towards starting your own businesses to become employers of labour while also helping Lagos rise.
“We want you to use this job fair as a stepping stone to excellence in your respective fields of interest.
“I want to implore job seekers and employers to widely use this platform to change the dynamics of employment creation in our beloved State,” he averred.
On his part, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Dr. Biodun Onayele, said the job fair was established to link the unemployed and underemployed with employers of labour.
He assured that the Lagos State government would continue to provide an enabling environment for businesses and initiatives to thrive while also reiterating the commitments of the present administration to work with all groups and interest to achieve the overall policy thrust of wealth creation, generation and employment strategies for the sustainability of economic growth of the State.
“This fair alone is not a magic solution to tackling unemployment, but however serves as a crucial step towards addressing unemployment and provides a platform for collaboration between the job seekers, employers and the government to tackle the challenge of unemployment,” Onayele added.
