NECA to begin mentorship, employability programmes in 6 universities

Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) is set to commence mentorship and employability programmes in six universities in the country to enhance the skills of undergraduates and upscale their opportunities.

Director-General of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the universities would cut across the six geo-political zones in the country.
Oyerinde said that the move had become imperative to address the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
“We will be starting the programme toward the end of this year or early next year in six universities across the geo-political zones.

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“We will be focusing on enhancing the employability potentials of an average Nigerian youth.
“After the programs, the participants will not only be able to compete locally but also globally,” he said.
Oyerinde also said that NECA would be coming up with credible policy options for the government to consider in terms of creating jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
At the 2024 Job Fair held recently in Lagos, the director-general said it was part of a series of activities under the NECA’s employability scheme, aimed at supporting the government in creating jobs for the youth.
“We try to help graduates and the youth generally to enhance their skills, upscale themselves, and create opportunities for them.
“So the job fair was about the fourth in the series, and we focused on the green jobs and renewable energy.
“The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has affirmed that there are over 20 million jobs in the green economy and the renewable energy that are untapped.
“So we decide to go this route and to expose Nigerian youths to those opportunities, draw government’s attention to it, and focus on creating jobs for the youth,” he said.
Oyerinde said that NECA was taking definite actions to address the high rate of unemployment in the country through various collaborations.