UNILAG partners Continental Hotels for hospitality careers talk

The University of Lagos (UNILAG), in collaboration with Continental Hotels, recently hosted an interactive career talk on the prospects of working in the Nigerian hospitality industry.

The event, held on Friday, June 2, at the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) Lecture Theatre under the auspices of the Office of Career Development Services (OCDS) of UNILAG saw participants being exposed to job opportunities and insights in the Nigerian Hospitality Industry.

Top officials of Continental Ho­tels led by Karl Hala, the group general manager took turns to address the students on various career prospects in Hospitality Management such as Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Resources management and Engineering among other areas.

The speakers were unanimous in identifying passion as the fulcrum for anyone who desires a thriving career in the hospitality industry.

Lai Mohammed, the immediate past minister of information, culture and tourism who was the keynote speaker at the event, took the participants through investment opportunities in the Creative Industry in Nigeria.

The former Minister spoke highly of the Nigerian creative space being the second largest employer in Nigeria, its propensity for expansion and its undeniable role in Nigeria’s economic growth, social development and promotion of cultural exchange.

Mohammed noted that despite the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the world economy, the creative industry in Nigeria recorded a significant boom with hospitality events and tourism recording a sum of N1.2 trillion in revenue while filmmaking recorded N140 billion.

He disclosed that the music industry made N300 billion while the Writing, Printing and publishing sector recorded a whooping sum of N1 trillion and fashion made a startling sum of N2 trillion all within the same year 2020.

He identified Nige­ria’s rich cultural heritage, diverse pool of talents and burgeoning consumer market as guarantees of huge Return on Investment (RoI) for investors in the Nigerian Creative Industry.

He said: “With the right invest­ments, strategic partnerships, and supportive policies, the Nigerian creative industry has the potential to become a global powerhouse, driving innovation, job creation, and socio-economic transforma­tion”.

In her remarks, Ayodele Atsenuwa, deputy vice-chancellor (Development Ser­vices) described the event as part of the university’s strategic agenda to help students uncover potential in differ­ent careers, and groom them for the workforce of the future while lever­aging partnerships for placements.