…holds 6th edition
CareerLife Nigeria has trained youths in Port-Harcourt on employability skills to help tackle rising unemployment in the state.
After holding five editions in the past four years in Lagos, CareerLife Nigeria held the sixth edition of its Employability Fitness Programme in Port-Harcourt to equip 100 job seekers in the state with the required skills needed in the future workplace.
Yewande Jinadu, the convener while training the youths, discussed the importance of having a great resume and a strong presence online.
A mock interview session was also held where participants met with panellists to interview for a job and personalized feedback based on their performance to help them know what they’ve been doing wrong and what they can do better was provided.
According to Jinadu, the training wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing sponsors including Premium Pensions, Blakskill Limited and TVC.
She noted that outstanding jobseekers during the training program will undergo a six-week virtual post-coaching program to gain hands-on working experience to help increase their employment chances.
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Youth unemployment has been on a constant rise in Africa’s most populous country and they account for 60 percent of the unemployment rate in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank.
“Though the negative socio-economic climate is mainly responsible for the dearth of jobs in Nigeria, there are other factors that militate against many young qualified professionals gaining access to jobs,” she said.
“For example, many young career professionals do not possess the requisite employability skills as many lack proper communication skills and confidence in the interview process,” she added.
According to her, the program is focused on bridging the employment gap between job seekers and hiring managers.
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“For most of the participants that attended, they had trouble communicating their capabilities in an interview as they got nervous and ended up not hearing back from the employers.”
They also said they didn’t know what they did wrong to get multiple rejection emails but after this event, 90 percent of participants recorded that they had clarity on what was wrong and how to get better, she noted.
The program that was held at Omas Studio in Port Harcourt started with a CV Clinic and LinkedIn optimisation session where participants get to learn that their CV is what gives them a foot through the door.
“They also learnt about building visibility through brand building on LinkedIn.”
