The West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), in collaboration with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and King's Trust Initiative, has encouraged Nigerian youths to develop practical employability and entrepreneurial skills as a pathway to overcoming unemployment.
This call was made during the Get Hired recruitment fair held on Friday, which marked the climax of a four-week employability training programme. The event brought together over 150 job seekers and more than 20 employers, creating direct pathways to job opportunities.
The initiative is part of a broader effort by the Lagos State government to empower 2,000 young people between ages 18 and 35 by the year 2027, equipping them with soft skills often missing from traditional education systems.
Tayelolu Owadokun, Lead Recruiter at WAVE, noted that many graduates struggle with essential career-building skills. "We found that most young people don't know how to craft effective CVs, navigate interviews, or confidently present themselves to employers. That's what we focused on—real, applicable knowledge," she said.
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Beyond employability, the programme also incorporated entrepreneurship training for participants exploring self-employment as an option.
The Director of Programmes at LSETF, Oyindamola Egbeyemi, described the fair as a practical endpoint to the month-long initiative. "This isn't just training for training's sake. We screen, evaluate, and monitor outcomes—real jobs, real businesses, real change," she said.
Beneficiaries shared positive experiences, highlighting how the training helped build self-confidence, emotional intelligence, and workplace etiquette. One participant, Adeola Kareem, noted, "In school, it's mostly theory, but this was hands-on. We learned how to stand out in interviews, and the feedback was immediate."
Another participant, Solomon Iregbeyen, praised the programme's supportive structure, saying it fostered professional growth and meaningful networking. "From the facilitators to the breakout sessions, everything was impactful. It should be scaled to reach more young people," he said.
The organisers reiterated their commitment to continuing similar initiatives that bridge the gap between education and employment, particularly for Nigerian youths seeking practical, sustainable paths to success.
