By Dayo Adesulu

STUDENTS of tertiary institutions have been advised to look beyond their educational qualifications and economic situation to make themselves a contributory part of the society rather than being employees who will be at the mercy of entrepreneurs.

Peoshare Nigeria Ltd’s MD/CEO, Olufemi Awoyemi, made this assertion at the Workplace Readiness and Employability Seminar, organised by the University of Lagos Alumni Association, sponsored by Oldmutual Insurance Ltd at Unilag Multi-purpose Hall.

Awoyemi affirmed that a greater percent of Nigerian youths are unemployable because soft skills are lacking and the entrepreneurship drive is not in them. Soft skill is a term often associated with a person’s Emotional Intelligence Quotient, which is the cluster of personality traits, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, managing people and leadership that characterize relationships with other people.

According to him: “A greater percent of Nigerian youth are unemployable. In a competitive society like Nigeria, it is key for graduate today, to go beyond the physical profiling test, that is behavioural test. Soft skills are also needed and also the ability to create a value for yourself.

“With the rise of university placements comes the rise of qualifications, and it soon starts to seem like the only way to get earn a salary is by having a several university certificates. But that does not equip the graduate to prepare for the workplace. In the global world, it is the soft skills and other experiences that become the preferred attribute for employers.

He added further: “An emloyable graduate requires a good combination of both theoretical knowledge and practical understanding, and I believe this is better. When reviewing a curriculum vitae, both personally and alongside employers, experience is reviewed before education in most cases, apart from entry/junior level positions.