Skills have become increasingly important in the globalized world. Vocational and technical skills are essential, but employers are seeking applicants with more. They want employees who can continue to learn and adapt; read, write and compute competently; listen and communicate effectively; think creatively; solve problems independently; manage themselves at work; interact with co-workers; work in teams or groups; handle emerging technologies, lead effectively as well as follow supervision. These core work skills are referred to as Employability Skills or deep learning skills and are both important to employers’ recruitment and enhance an individual’s ability to secure a job, retain employment and move flexibly in the labour market as well as engage in lifelong learning.
Employability Skills or deep learning skills are the essential skills that young people need to be fully prepared for life and work in a global economy. These skills increase one’s employability and job-readiness, even those developed only through basic education. Survey results has shown that though some specific skills are required for some particular positions, duties, sectors or enterprise, there are certain core employability skills that are commonly sort after by employers for most Job description, whether formal or informal employment. These core skills from the various matrices of skills have been pooled under four broad skill categories: learning to learn; communication; teamwork; problem-solving.
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
The employment situation of young people, who are supposed to make up the majority of workforce today, is characterized specifically by high unemployment, under-employment, lower quality jobs and difficult transitions into decent work. At the same time as we struggle with youth unemployment, paradoxically, it is experiencing a skills shortage. So, addressing youth unemployment and under-employment requires both job creation and skills development.
Like in Nigeria today, educational qualifications are becoming not enough to qualify young graduates for a desired job they seek, especially because most jobs now require candidates that can handle emerging technologies and have core employability skills. Most young people face difficulties in securing a job because of the mismatch between their education/training and labour market requirements. Innovation, technology and market developments have turned the world of work into a fast-changing environment. There is now, more than before, a crucial need to furnish our growing young workforce with skills required for the jobs of the future, not to mention re-equipping the current workforce with the skills required to keep up with a changing world.
A skilled workforce goes hand in hand with economic growth. So, as the youth wing of the ruling party of our great nation, employability skills development is an essential part of our comprehensive, integrated strategy, as permitted by our constitution, both to improve their lives of young progressives and Nigerians, making them become better citizens and contributors to the development of their communities, and to demonstrate the APC’s commitment to supporting young Nigerians, giving them Renewed hope.
PROGRAM PROFILE
The APC National Youth Wing ‘Work Readiness Training Program’ (WRTP) is an employment skills enhancement and office management skills training program that is designed to help young Nigerians aged 18 and above develop the core skills that employers desire, improving their ability to secure a job, retain employment, and move flexibly in the labor market. This program will equip participants with better personal-branding skills for effective CV and Resume presentation, core workplace skills, new ways of thinking and accomplishing tasks, as well as competitive ways of living in a global society.
With the theme ‘I Am Employable’ this initiative forms one of our major efforts to build the economic capacity of young Nigerians and equip them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to their communities, with the underlying objective of contributing to our Nation’s structural transformation and economic growth by enhancing employability and labor productivity and reducing unemployment.
OUR GOAL
Our primary goal with this program is to improve the economic capacity of young Nigerians, especially young progressives, by empowering them with the necessary core skills that will enhance their ability to secure a job, retain employment, and move flexibly in the labor market – Prepare Young People for the Workplace.
OBJECTIVES
To empower 20,000 young Nigerians annually with employable skills and access to job opportunities.
To serve as a service provider between employees and young employers in Nigeria.
To empower young Nigerians with personal and professional branding skills.
To create a comprehensive database of outstanding Nigerians across various professional fields.
To promote quality education and skills development while solving local challenges.
To create a pipeline of local professionals that can promote the image of the nation globally.
