UYO — Youths in Akwa Ibom State have been urged to build sustainable careers by acquiring relevant skills and strengthening personal character to remain competitive in a rapidly changing job market.

Career experts gave the advice at the weekend during the 2026 Akwa Ibom Career Clinic organised by recruitment and career development platform Jobberman, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

The event attracted students, graduates, and job seekers who received training on employability and entrepreneurship with keynote on ‘Blueprint for Success: Building Skills for the Future of Work’ delivered by Monica Inyang.

“Your future is not waiting for you; you create it. Identify problems you can solve, build relevant skills, and embrace lifelong learning through workshops, online courses, internships, and practical projects,” Inyang told participants.

She stressed the need to combine technical and digital competencies with soft skills, adding: “Skills can open doors, but character, reliability, honesty, punctuality and teachability are what keep those doors open.”

The career development expert cautioned youths against allowing rejection, failure, limited resources, or social media comparisons to derail their progress.

Country Head, Programmes, Jobberman, Olamide Adeyeye, said success in today’s job market requires intentionality rather than waiting for opportunities.

“Every young person is valuable to this country. Jobberman is interested in the future of young people in Akwa Ibom and Nigeria, and we want to help them get work they can be proud of and through which they can contribute positively to society,” Adeyeye said.

Declaring the event open, Governor Umo Eno, represented by the Commissioner for Labour and Manpower Planning, Ikoedem Ekong, said the clinic aligns with the state government’s ARISE Agenda to equip youths with digital, vocational, and entrepreneurial skills.

Sharing benefits from the session, Mfoniso Solomon, a final-year Mathematics Education student of the University of Uyo, said the training exposed her to artificial intelligence, remote-work opportunities, and better use of social media for career growth.

Richard Pedro, a Geo-Informatics student, said the training helped him understand the value of a strong CV and preparing for a digital future of work, urging other youths to take advantage of available online learning platforms.

Participants took part in hands-on sessions on CV writing, interview performance, workplace readiness, professional confidence, digital skills, and understanding employer expectations. There were also counselling, networking, and interactive discussions.