COOU Moves To Bridge Skills Gap As Graduating Students Receive Job Readiness Training
The programme featured a range of practical sessions, including CV development and review, networking, career readiness and mentorship, as well as entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
By Oguocha Chukwuebuka
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), through its Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI), has taken another step towards preparing its graduating students for the realities of the labour market with a 2026 Employment and Job Readiness Workshop.
The workshop, themed “From Classroom to Boardroom: Mastering the Secrets of Get-Hired and Stay-Hired in a Competitive Labour Market,” was organised for graduating students across the university’s campuses.
The programme featured a range of practical sessions, including CV development and review, networking, career readiness and mentorship, as well as entrepreneurship and enterprise development.
Declaring the workshop open at the Awka campus, the Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, COOU Igbariam Campus, Professor Kingsley Nwozor, said the university was committed to equipping its graduates with the skills and mindset required to contribute meaningfully to society.
Nwozor noted that youth-oriented initiatives of the Anambra State Government, including the Anambra Digital Tribe and One Youth, Two Skills, were being replicated within the university environment, urging the students to take advantage of available opportunities and position themselves for success.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of COOU, Professor Kate Omenugha, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration and Environmental Sustainability, Professor Anselm Nweke, alongside the Provost, College of Medicine, Professor Lawrence Ikeakor, said the initiative was designed to prepare students not only for immediate employment but also for the demands of the future.
They commended the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and IDK for the partnership, stressing the importance of initiatives that expose students to practical realities beyond the classroom.
The CEO and Managing Consultant of IDK, Mrs. Chinwe Nweke, observed that while many Nigerian graduates possess impressive academic qualifications, a significant number lack the practical skills and preparedness required to compete effectively in the labour market.
She therefore commended the university management for embracing the initiative and encouraged the graduating students to take the lessons from the workshop seriously and apply them as they prepare to enter the world of work.
Some of the participants, including Miss Miriam Umeoke and Henry Echeta, described the workshop as enlightening and impactful, promising to apply and further develop the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme.
