By Gom Mirian
The Nigerian Government has pledged unwavering support to improving African graduate employability through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
The pledge was made in Abuja on Monday during the 2023 the Africa Centre for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (ACCESS), an organisation dedicated to ACCESS International Summer School and Conference co-hosted by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja, with the theme: “Cultivating New Frontiers in Employability Research for Skills and Career Enhancement.”
Access was established in 2018 to facilitate the development of critical skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for the African labour market. The organisation has trained over 10,000 graduates in Africa through digital learning platforms, creating an opportunity for them to compete globally and sustainably.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr. Andrew Adejo, speaking at the event, said the collaboration was timely as it aligns with the government’s efforts to reduce the country’s unemployment rate and promote self-employment.
“A lot of work is still required considering the dynamic nature of the contemporary labour market and the future of work.
“In keeping to its mandate, the Commission has consistently advanced graduate employability through its various curriculum reengineering exercises. The recently unveiled Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) for the 17 academic disciplines and over 220 programmes in the NUS place much emphasis on soft skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, venture creation and digital literacy given the labour market expectations in the 21st Centuryl.”
In his comments, the Acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki, said the 2003 Summer School and Conference of ACCESS aim to provide and share best practices, glean successful case studies, and evidence-based might that will be in turn chart the most effective pathways that would promote the employability and career pathways for our graduates.
