The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Tertiary Education, has assured both local and foreign investors that graduates from the state-owned tertiary institutions will often go through academic activities that gives them qualities needed by employers within and outside the country.
It said that efforts would be put in daily to ensure students obtain requisite knowledge, skills and competencies needed, in order to become better and global competitive graduates that could easily drive the country’s quest for sustainable development.
The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Tolani Sule, disclosed this yesterday while addressing guests at the Lagos Students Career Expo held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Yaba.
Sule, who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Kike Oduwole, said the Career Expo was an opportunity provided by the government to get direct feedbacks from employers of labour on how to ensure graduates from Lagos state-owned varsities and other institutions become more globally accepted.
While describing both local and foreign investors as critical stakeholders in the job market, the commissioner stated that the engagement would encourage the government and lecturers to continually improve the quality of teaching and learning in the state’s higher institutions.
According to him, the state government has invested enormous resources in manpower development, provision of facilities, infrastructure, and a good environment for students to learn and acquire skills in all its institutions.
He informed employers at the Expo that the current peaceful atmosphere that pervades the state government-owned institutions and the seamless academic calendar being enjoyed are testimonies to the commitment of the current administration to have world-standard tertiary institutions run in line with the best practices to produce qualified graduates who can compete for jobs globally.
Sule, meanwhile, advised students to grab the EXPO opportunity to ask relevant questions from potential employers that will allow them to get jobs, and opportunities that will usher their paths to execute personal actions which will lead to career advancement programs geared towards life progress and sustainable career goals.
According to him, getting a job is daunting in our ever-challenging environment. Therefore, they must be ready to leave their comfort zone, have a penchant for innovation, and ability to display multicultural competence as part of their background In order to be separated from others in the labor market which is filled with an abundance of people applying for the same job.
One of the EXPO organizers, Salaam Abimbola, while thanking the state government for given quality education, she assured t the participants the event will achieve its goals of providing job opportunities for students.
