The irony of job opportunities amid high unemployment rate has raised new concern for the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ACCA), which blamed the development on lack of employability skills.

According to the accounting body, there is a huge skills gap among job seekers adding that employability is not about certificates and grades, but the need for job seekers to acquire necessary skills.

To this end, the ACCA, in an effort to put the serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to notice ahead of time, organised an employability seminar in Lagos, aimed at equipping them and encouraging the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills for post-service period.

The Country Head, ACCA, Mrs. Toyin Ademola, explained that the exercise was part of the association’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, aimed at addressing the observed challenge facing graduates in the country, as well as reduce the job rejection level, which can only be achieved by right skills.

She described the partnership with NYSC as strategic to the participants, adding: “One of the things we have set out to do for the corps members is to send their CVs to our partner recruitment agencies which will then advice the graduates on how best to draft CVs and also help them secure job interviews. It is now left for the corps members to defend themselves.”

“One of the key things we have noticed as a major hindrance to graduates in getting jobs, is because they are unemployable and not because there are no jobs at all. When employers of labour say things about employability, it is not only the paper certificate. Majority of these graduates are not qualified because they lack some of the basic qualities that appeal to any employer. It is a fact that in some places there job spaces waiting for the right candidate,” she said.

Citing an example, she noted that it a particular company took six months to recruit few persons, not because the job seekers were not coming, but those presenting themselves have no idea of the job requirement as well as poor disposition to interview session.

“When you go for an interview, it is an opportunity to sell yourself, and nobody else can do the other than you. So, even if it is your uncle or the president that recommended you to that employer, you have to be properly prepared for the interview.

“Some don’t even know that it is wrong to solicit handshake by stretching out hand first. Others appear unkempt, wear crested jeans, arrive late at interview venue, even have guts to call in late asking for venue and lack a simple knowledge of the company they are prospecting employment. There is a difference between stage fright and lack of confidence,” she explained to the gathering made up of over 3,000 youth corps members.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of Human Capital Development Consultants, Mrs. Bisola Longe, in her presentation at the event, maintained that the basic to success is for job seekers to have vision- a clear decision of what he or she wants.

To her, a clear vision serves as a compass that would detail which part of career development to pursue, how and when, including what job opportunities to look out for.

“You must know where you are going. The people that succeed most in life create their own world. So, the best way for you to predict your future is to create it. You must have the right attitude,” she said.

While reiterating the need for the corps members to have vision, be determined and focused, she challenged them to be hardworking, saying, “Whether you are working for yourself or for an organisation, be energetic and always go the extra mile. Whenever you are selling yourself, you are selling your idea, your intelligence and your integrity. You must be confident about your ideas”.

According to her, efforts by ACCA ranging from yearly recruitment fairs in three geopolitical zones of the country to skills and training seminars to address the unemployment challenge in the country are yielding results.

“I think our efforts have contributed immensely to the employability ratio of graduates, though it might take a little longer before the overall impact becomes very visible. Remember we are in a country of over 170 million people that produces an estimate of 100,000 graduates yearly, and there is no way we can get in touch with every single graduate,” she added

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/03/acca-decries-high-employability-skills-gap-among-job-seekers/

barcanista:
Though some of our graduates appear unemployable, we also need to be sincere with ourselves. Most jobs are given not on merit but on nepotism. It is usually about who know who, who recommend who or who is who with little credence to competence.we should not also feign ignorance of the society we are that placed value on "certificate" rather than skills. As long as competence, merit and skills are relegated to favor nepotism, bribery and mere certificates, employers will continue to whine about lack of employable candidates(because they will continue to attract only the wrong candidates), while job-seekers will continue to job-hunt.

barcanista:
Though some of our graduates appear unemployable, we also need to be sincere with ourselves. Most jobs are given not on merit but on nepotism. It is usually about who know who, who recommend who or who is who with little credence to competence.we should not also feign ignorance of the society we are that placed value on "certificate" rather than skills. As long as competence, merit and skills are relegated to favor nepotism, bribery and mere certificates, employers will continue to whine about lack of employable candidates(because they will continue to attract only the wrong candidates), while job-seekers will continue to job-hunt.

Sweetguy25:


The level of nepotism being perpetuated by employers of labour in the country is highly exaggerated. Every business wants to make money and run their operations profitably by ensuring efficient and effective management.
Highly competent people get jobs all the time in Nigeria. If as a graduate, you are competent and your prospective employer sees that you're competent, you will definitely get a job. No business wants to waste their time employing and paying redundant staff.
Connections are an added advantage in getting a job anywhere in the world, it is not solely a Nigerian problem.

calebo101:
It's mostly true. Nigeria graduates are unemployable. From lack of work ethics to outright indiscipline and even lack of communication skills.
The more reason top firms in Nigeria have a preference for foreign trained graduates... not even minding the grades but then the difference is clear. Why dem go even dey employable wen person study french for school yet e dey wan work for texaco

Sweetguy25:


The level of nepotism being perpetuated by employers of labour in the country is highly exaggerated. Every business wants to make money and run their operations profitably by ensuring efficient and effective management.
Highly competent people get jobs all the time in Nigeria. If as a graduate, you are competent and your prospective employer sees that you're competent, you will definitely get a job. No business wants to waste their time employing and paying redundant staff.
Connections are an added advantage in getting a job anywhere in the world, it is not solely a Nigerian problem.

barcanista:
Bros, we shouldn't even argue this because it will amount to back and forth. You can't downplay NEPOTISM, you can't downplay PAY 4 JOB, you can't down play premium on "certificates" earned over skills acquired. On paper it is usually said no no company want to flop by ignoring merit for nepotism, but in reality it is what is obtained in Nigeria in most cases(I won't even argue). Only on few occasions that people get jobs without knowing own man that "recommended" or some big daddy/uncle somewhere. All these are demotivating and demoralising many job-seekers from even having the mindset to improve, because they know that no matter their competence, their chance is very slim. Rather than improve themselves, people have now resorted to seek for the big guy to link them, source for money to bribe their way in or look for one big uncle that own some big firm.

We shouldn't be ignorant bros...

calebo101:
It's mostly true. Nigeria graduates are unemployable. From lack of work ethics to outright indiscipline and even lack of communication skills.

The more reason top firms in Nigeria have a preference for foreign trained graduates... not even minding the grades but then the difference is clear. Why dem go even dey employable wen person study french for school yet e dey wan work for texaco