Students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) were given a transformative opportunity to re-shape their career perspectives during an impactful career seminar held on Thursday, July 4, 2024 at the J.F. Ade. Ajayi Auditorium.
The Career Seminar, under the Unilever Nigeria and UNICEF, Future-X Campus Ambassadors Programme (FUCAP), was designed to equip students with the necessary tools and insights to navigate the ever-evolving job market. Holding the Seminar at UNILAG was a collaborative effort among Unilever, UNICEF and UNILAG.
Delivering the keynote speech on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Professor Ayodele Atsenuwa shared the Vice-Chancellor’s vision to lead the University into future-readiness.
According to her, this spurred the university management on to analyse different approaches to deliver on the mandate of making UNILAG FUTURE-Ready. She further informed of the University’s verve in partnering with industry to upscale its endeavours for future readiness and aid its students in gaining well-rounded development.
Highlighting areas in which the University has already began to produce fit-for-purpose workforce for Nigeria and the world at large, Professor Atsenuwa encouraged students to familiarise themselves with the various facilities and resources available for their benefits on the University campus.
She urged students to regularly check the University website for local and international opportunities. She noted that as a result of UNILAG students’ application for several opportunities, UNILAG currently boasts of being the only University in the world to have fourteen (14) of its graduates working in the Bank of America.
Professor Atsenuwa enjoined students to explore other gainful opportunities across the world, and vouched for the University’s willingness to support students in their drive.
As a testament of University’s inclination to support its students, she noted that the FUCAP event was brought to UNILAG due to the endeavours of a UNILAG student, Irewole Faturoti. It was Irewole’s exceptional performance in the LevelUP Entrepreneurship Skill Course of Unilever and UNICEF that earned UNILAG a top spot among twenty (20) universities in Nigeria to host the FUCAP Career Seminar in 2024.
In the same vein, Program Specialist, Youth Division of UNICEF Nigeria, Bharat Kumar Kundra advised students to take initiative whenever they see opportunities. He invited students who have not enrolled in the LevelUP Entrepreneurship Skill Course to do so via the URL —-> https://bit.ly/FUCAPCourse
Bharat informed that participants stood the chance of gaining internship placements with Unilever and other collaborating organisations. He added that, by completing the entrepreneurship course, students will be awarded certificates and also have an opportunity of participating in weekly raffle draws hosted on the FUCAP platform.
Sharing a part of the insights that informed Unilever Nigeria’s goal for entering into the partnership with UNICEF to create the FUTURE X initiative, HR People Partner, Unilever Nigeria Plc., Zainab Ajadi, disclosed that the production company aims to go beyond helping students prepare for the future of work by upskilling them, but also intends to directly impact young minds through internship opportunities to become valuable employees or entrepreneurs in their chosen fields.
Leading industry experts from Unilever Nigeria and UNICEF shared invaluable experiences and advice on various career-related topics. These included strategies for personal branding, how to stand out positively in a pool of applicants, the importance of adaptability in the workplace, and the growing significance of sustainable and socially responsible business practices.
Throughout the seminar, students were engaged in interactive discussions which allowed them to explore their career interests in depth and gain practical insights to enhance their employability. The sessions also emphasized the importance of continuous learning and professional development, encouraging students to stay proactive and open-minded in their career pursuits.
One of the major highlights of the event was a CV Clinic anchored by Zainab Ajadi. During the CV Clinic session, participants were intimated with keywords employers watch out for in Curriculum Vitae, the difference between CV and Resumé, how soon a student should have a CV and why, to mention a few.
Another interesting highlight for students was a raffle draw from the pool of UNILAG students who have successfully completed the Entrepreneurship Skill Course. The raffle draw saw five (5) students of UNILAG smile home with four (4) brand new smart phones and one (1) tablet courtesy of UNICEF and Unilever. Several gifts were also won by students who participated in the interactive sessions and souvenirs handed out to the over three thousand (3000) participants who filled the auditorium.
In essence, the FUTURE Career Seminar marked a significant milestone in the academic and professional journey of the University of Lagos students, setting them on a promising path towards a successful future.
Students left the seminar with a renewed sense of direction and confidence, ready to apply the knowledge and skills they had gained. The event not only provided them with a clearer vision of their career paths but also instilled a sense of responsibility to contribute positively to society through their professional endeavours.
Future-X Campus Ambassadors Programme (FUCAP) is a joint initiative of Unilever Nigeria and UNICEF, aimed at empowering young people with essential job-market skills. The target is to impact 700,000 young people and give internship opportunities to 500 of them in a circle of three years.
Unilever Nigeria is a locally listed business with household brands such as Knorr, Closeup, Pepsodent, Rexona, Royco, and Vaseline. Having celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2023, it is renowned for being the longest serving manufacturing company in Nigeria.
The key message reverberated to the gathering by Godfrey Adejumoh, Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, was that Unilever Nigeria is here to stay, and is fully committed to serving Nigerians with great locally made brands while making a positive socioeconomic contribution to the country. He noted that contrary to possible worries that the company may pack up and leave in the trying economic times being experienced nation-wide, Unilever Nigeria aims to stay and contribute its quota to bringing viable solutions for Nigeria’s economic stability. This is part of the company’s goal in joining strategic partnerships to help raise a generation of skilled, confident and enterprising youths.
Originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Children’s Fund in Nigeria was one of the very first programme of cooperation established in Africa. Today, through its Generation Unlimited (GenU) 9ja Initiative, UNICEF addresses the digital and skills gaps of young people in an endeavour to support their transition from learning to earning.
The host university for this edition, the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is one of the highly esteemed universities in Africa. For over 6 decades, UNILAG has provided qualitative and research-oriented education to Nigerians and all those who have entered its domain in search of knowledge. In 2022, the current Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS avowed to position UNILAG as a FUTURE-Ready institution and this aligns well with the provisions of FUCAP.
Click here —-> https://www.youtube.com/live/CfoYOfTXSko to watch a livestream of the career seminar.
Author: Nike Ogunshakin
Photographer: Joshua Michael and Unilever Nigeria
Article Editor: Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem
Photo Editor: Nike Ogunshakin and Unilever Nigeria
