Career fairs bridge gap between industry, academia

Bose and Emeka attended secondary schools that have reputation for a tradition of excellence, Bose attended Queens College, Yaba, Lagos; Emeka graduated from King’s College, Lagos Mainland.

Emeka graduated and gained admission into one of the Federal Universities but Bose proceeded to one of the new and innovative private universities. Due to the deliberate effort put in by the private university to ensure both its faculty and students understand the trend in industry through internships and career fairs; Bose was more workplace ready before graduation than Emeka.

Emeka’s academic course at the Federal University was more theoretical than experiential and this made him flounder a little upon graduation.

This is why experts say career fairs help to bridge the squeaking gap between industry and academia because schools that adopt them and organise them effectively produce workplace ready graduates.

A university or college career fair provides students, and sometimes alumni, with an opportunity to meet with a variety of prospective employers on campus or at an off-campus site. An integrated career fair exposes students to both blue and white collar job opportunities.

This is particularly important in Nigeria for two critical reasons. First, youth unemployment rate in Nigeria increased to 33.10 percent in the third quarter of 2017 from 29.50 percent in the second quarter of 2017. Youth unemployment rate in Nigeria averaged 21.73 percent from 2014 until 2017, reaching an all-time high of 33.10 percent in the third quarter of 2017 and a record low of 11.70 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Secondly, there is a widening gap between industry and academia, which slows down the rate of synergy between them. One of the most significant innovations that were responsible for making the United States of America (USA) an industrial powerhouse was the development of industrial Research and Development (R&D) laboratories in the last century. During the second quarter of the 20th Century a number of pharmaceutical R&D laboratories were established in the vicinity of research intensive universities, very much like the more recent case of the Silicon Valley in California.

Seventy percent of Nigeria’s population is below the age of 35 years, yet recruiters have a hard time finding talent fill various positions. “It is really difficult to find candidates for early and mid-career positions. This is due to the quality of products from our education system” Olumide Sholanke, Human Resource Director at Nigerian Bottling Company, said, during the maiden edition of Pan-Atlantic University Career Fair, February 15, 2018.

Sholanke said to bridge this gap, universities have a critical role to play. They would have to adopt new teaching and learning methods some of which include: blended learning, this entails striking a balance between theoretical and experiential learning through internships; case studies and joint ventures between universities and industry to deepen research.

In response to this demand from industry the Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos organised its maiden career fair, which brought over 30 companies to its campus to enable the students interact with these captains of industry.

“The career fair seeks to serve as a platform for companies to access a pool of qualified candidates without having to advertise; for students to have opportunity to learn more about potential employers and the opportunities available within organisations” Juan Elegido, Vice Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University stated in his welcome message.

The Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) has clearly defined internship programme to enable our students acquire in-depth knowledge and a hands-on experience in their various courses of study, thereby equipping them with the right skills as they prepare to make positive impact on the nation upon graduation.

“My first year in PAU, I interned at a digital marketing company of my own volition and it was the eye-opening experience I never knew I needed. Digital marketing was the first career I went into with little interest but the internship experience was immersive and to a degree, comfortable” Tamilore Oladipo, a 400 Level student of Mass Communication said during the maiden edition of PAU Career Fair.

STEPHEN ONYEKWELU