Undergraduates Should Put In For Holiday Jobs - Unemployment Group Advise

One of the groups engaged in assisting youths to gain employment, Fola Ogunsola Foundation, has advised Nigerian undergraduates to embrace the culture of holiday job.

The founder of the foundation, Ms. Fola Ogunsola, said this in an interview with our correspondent on the sidelines of an enlightenment programme the group held for students of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State on Saturday.

Ogunsola said undergraduates, rather than loafing around during holidays, should seek where they could work even for free with the aim of equipping themselves with necessary skills which would make them employable after graduation.

She said, “Undergraduates should engage themselves in holiday jobs and volunteer themselves to work rather than waste their holidays doing nothing.

Holiday jobs and volunteerism are common among undergraduates in Europe and America.

“Undergraduates here in Nigeria should also think along this line. By doing this, they will gain skills, exposure and experience which would give them an advantage when they are looking for jobs.”

Ogunsola stated that the foundation which started in 2012 was involved in preparing final year students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria for good employment.

She said, “ We believe that they need to know what it is out there when they leave campus. They need to know what to expect. What we do on campus is actually to let them know what happens after life on campus. It is just one of the activities of the foundation.

“Basically, we show them what the school can offer and what the marketplace expects. We also have a finishing school which is free. We will train and empower graduates for two months.

“The purpose of the finishing school is to make graduates employable. This is because if you are employable, you would be employed.”

Speaking at the programme, Mr. Kehinde Oyeleke of Seedvest Group advised prospective graduates not to allow their grades to limit their chances of success in life.

He stressed that the high level of unemployment was fuelling crime in Nigeria, saying graduates should seek to make themselves job creators rather than job seekers.

Punch