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By Vera Wisdom-Bassey
Students and young professionals have been urged to embrace continuous learning, develop multi-disciplinary skills and position themselves for opportunities in the evolving global economy driven by technology and AI, artificial intelligence.
The Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Media Group for West and Central Africa, Yinka Adebayo, gave this charge during the maiden edition of the one-day Career Kaleidoscope organised by the Bells University of Technology Students Association with the theme “Evolving and thriving in a Multi-skilled world.”
Addressing the students at the event, Adebayo stressed the need for youths to build relevance, resilience and adaptability in order to remain competitive in the workplace.
His words: “Bear in mind, if your presence is not felt, your absence will not be missed. You’ve got to make it count when it counts. The future is yours to create. Nigeria is a youthful population with enormous energy and opportunities. With the right skill, the right mindset and persistence, you can build a remarkable career and contribute to Nigeria’s growth.”
He called on the students to know that there is no better time than now to strategise because the world is evolving, unlike in the time past. He noted that economic challenges confronting Nigeria should not discourage young people, insisting that crisis often create opportunities for innovation and enterprise.
Sighting examples, he said: “The same economic pressure making some companies close down is the same pressure making some companies grow and acquire others. Challenges are opportunities in disguise.”
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Adebayo called for the need for students to repackage themselves and reposition themselves, restructure themselves in order to remain relevant in future.
He urged the students to continually reinvent themselves through personal branding, upskilling and strategic networking.
Also speaking, Senior Product Designer at Flutterwave, Aladenusi Adewunmi, identified skills shortage and migration of professionals as major contributors to Nigeria’s widening talent gap. According to him, a lot of mid-level and senior professionals left the country too quickly because of the Japa trend, leaving a gap between juniors and executives.
Adewunmi said: “The people meant to guide the younger professionals are no longer around. So, it’s an ecosystem problem, a structural problem and also a leadership problem.”
Adewunmi, however, expressed optimism that the situation would improve with increased mentorship and industry engagement, saying: “We need more events like this. We need more people to intentionally give back by teaching and mentoring younger talents. Kids these days are more entrepreneurial, they learn faster, adapt faster and are hungrier to succeed.”
Earlier, President of the Bells University Students Association, Olowo Covenant, said the Career Kaleidoscope initiative was designed to bridge different industries and expose students to opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
“The purpose of the event is to connect different sectors, technology, entertainment, food and other industries, together. We want students to understand sustainability and how they can continue to build on what has started here even years after graduation,” he said.
