Experts concerned over rising unemployment, advise employers to prioritise skills

Experts have criticized the poor treatment of graduates with lower-class degrees, urging employers in Nigeria to adopt a skill-based hiring approach in the labor market. They also emphasized the importance of Nigerians acquiring skills to improve their chances of securing decent jobs rather than focusing on obtaining paper qualifications. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of […]

Experts have criticized the poor treatment of graduates with lower-class degrees, urging employers in Nigeria to adopt a skill-based hiring approach in the labor market.

They also emphasized the importance of Nigerians acquiring skills to improve their chances of securing decent jobs rather than focusing on obtaining paper qualifications.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of Talent Forge’s latest cohort, a programme organised by Tunmise Johnson Household Foundation (TA Community), its founder, Tunmise Johnson lamented the plight of lower class graduates, who he said are often overlooked in the recruitment process.

He said: “The big question is, where are the third-class graduates? What are they doing? Where are the 2.2 graduates? What are they doing? If you look at job adverts, what you see is that if you graduate with first class or second class upper, you’re preferred.

“That is the problem, certificate over skill. For example, I’m a 2.2 graduate, but today I’m a chartered accountant and certified faud Examiner. I’m an alumni of Lagos Business School, and I also have my MBA with specialisation in artificial intelligence. So it is not about how I came out in school but about my skill because I’m able to understand what the environment is like after school.

“Look at Nigeria system. it’s only people that can really succeed in this kind of system. And that’s why you see a lot of people take their children out of school. I went to University of Ilorin. In my class, we have about 100 to 200 student. I couldn’t concentrate. How do you want me to cope?

“So it’s not by certificates, but by my skill. And if you see very good organisation, they prioritise experience over certificates. So certificates should just give an edge. But what to look out for when you are recruiting is the skill, the talents, the experience, the core values, the potentials, and that is what we are looking at and

He revealed that Talent Forge received over 100 applications for its program but only selected 14 participants who underwent a rigorous process, including three months of lectures, and exams.

Johnson said “All of them made it through, and we’re paying them for six months to learn. We’re leveraging the fact that they’re absorbing them for free.”

Chief Executive Officer, Welcome To Africa International Bamidele Owoola said employers must learn to continue prioritising skills while hiring.

“I’m more about what you can actually do. I know that there are some stigma with graduates that have lower degrees. But for me, it’s all about what you can do because I’ve employed people that have PhD, and they can’t do anything and I have employed corp members and they’re doing far better than those that have masters”, she stated

One of the beneficiaries, Faith Oyedepo, said it is a terrible experience looking for a job with lower grades in Nigeria.

Oyedepo, a gradute of human anatomy from Ladoke Akintola university said: ” I’m actually very excited and I find it such a great opportunity. I’m privileged to have graduated from this programme.

“The testimonies are numerous one of which I can say is that I actually have now a new career line that I have been taught, trained, and you can call me a professional without having to go to the university to start all over again.

“I wanted to go into human resource administration and with the help of TA community and the talent forge programme, I have actually learned a lot and, I can say today I’m graduating as an HR personnel. And I’m not the same as I began from this programme

Narrating her ordeal, she added: “It was certainly a very terrible experience. Before now, in 2022. I attended over 20 interviews without any headway. I was leaving my house every day searching for a job being called for an interview. Apparently, I had the skill and I had everything that I needed, but I didn’t know how to put myself out there.