![Remedying issue of unemployment among school leavers.](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95G8j9Fh-FyBsn9YIi7j_WrZ1J6w3SYbKdyh-Ps-__Mr3AktYG1zkc9YdgSO54OS6XL2r-xdYk8dqHGstY50cl1vYSyojHWKpgyvH1rpPXI8kh2UfyhxN3_c0WLoBgRut1-DESuTAKJg/w640-h316/broke-4765739_1280+%25281%2529.jpg)
From all indication, the nation’s most pressing
problem is the high rate of unemployment among school leavers. Caught in the
web of this problem are students from both secondary and tertiary institutions.
The consolation is that, like other problems, there are solutions to it. To
remedy the high unemployment rate among school leavers,
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First of all, there is an urgent need to shift
from the liberal subjects to technical, vocational or professional courses.
Difficult as it is to find employment in the country, students with technical
or professional qualifications have been remarkably better off than their colleagues
who studied the liberal arts. To support this shift, governments must
prioritize the establishment of more technical and vocational schools and award
scholarships to brilliant but needy students. The few technical schools should
be equipped and upgraded into polytechnic institutions which will then train
the youth and school leavers for gainful employment.
Another suggestion worth considering is the need
to offer soft loans to school leavers. This can be done without serious
insistence on collateral security. Capital will then be put in the hands of
school leavers ready to undertake profitable ventures. People call for a return
to the villages to take up farming but the issue is not that simple.
Agricultural projects ought to be financed and it makes no sense to expect
school leavers to launch into farming without financial assistance. So the
availability of capital will push school leavers into viable sectors of the
economy. Moreover, since land is readily available in many communities for
farming, government can give the needed push by subsidising farming inputs.
Thus, making agricultural projects less costly, school leavers will be
encouraged to take up farming. If the government is not paying unemployment
benefits as is done elsewhere, subsidising farming inputs will be an
alternative worth adopting. What is more, increased agricultural production
will help feed agro-based industries which will in turn create employment
opportunities, reducing unemployment.
Furthermore, the Students’ Representative Council
(SRC) of tertiary institutions should prioritize high on their agenda the
organization of career fairs to expose students to the job industry. This will
aid them the opportunity to interact with the various corporate organisations
and know the various employment or job opportunities in the industry tailored according to
their abilities and potentials.
In addition, to remedy the high rate of
unemployment among school leavers, I recommend rural electrification.
Connecting towns and villages to the national grid will promote the
establishment of rural industries. This will give school leavers the chance of
setting up cottage industries or seeking employment avenues there.
Also, our educational system needs some
adjustments in the sense that we should move away from the three R’s (reading,
writing and arithmetic) and concentrate on a system that tends to give our
students some form of practical knowledge and experience. Our second–cycle and
universities should be the focus of this structural adjustment. Students should
be encouraged to engage in volunteer work during long vacations in other to
practice what they study in school and gather the necessary experience and
skill needed to make them employable. This is the act of offering one’s service
for free in exchange for the acquisition of practical experiences helping reduce unemployment rates around the world.
Governments’ should extend financial support to
young men and women who have the dream of becoming entrepreneurs through owning
their own businesses. Individuals who have elaborate business plans and
proposals should be given the necessary assistance to start up their own
venture which also creates the opportunity for others to be employed or create employment opportunities for school leavers.
Methods of accumulation and dissemination of
information on available jobs and workers could be improved. In Sweden, job
centres have a nationwide integrated database of jobs, employers and available
employees. This type of database could reduce the time spent by an average
person being unemployed and thus reduce the unemployment rate.
Local artisans, crafts men and women in the act of
sewing, basketry, masonry, carpentry, sculpturing and blacksmithing should be
encouraged and supported. These individuals form the base of the nation’s local
manufacturing hub which will intend unearth and develop the potential in other
young men and women who are talented and have the desire to venture into these
fields hence reducing the high unemployment rates across the globe.
Massive investments be made in the music and arts
industry by governments’, making it lucrative for young talents to harness
their full potential hence creating employment opportunities.
Investments also be made to the sporting community
be it boxing, lawn tennis, table tennis, hockey, football, cycling and others.
This should also be channelled to the unearthing of talents desirous of
venturing into any of the disciplines and developing them giving them the
platform to fulfil their call in life.
Governments’ should put measures in place which
will ensure that investors who come to invest in the country offer employment
opportunities to the citizens of that country who qualify for respective jobs.
Many at times, investors come along with their employees from their respective
nations to work at their firms to the detriment of the citizens of the host
country which does not help solve the issue of unemployment among school leavers.
Much emphasis should be placed on ICT study and
training as it is now bringing the world to us and us to the world. The
acquisition of technological training and knowledge will go a long way to create employment opportunities and reduce unemployment among school leavers.
And finally, sensitisation programmes should be
organised to encourage individuals to venture into emerging sectors in the
economy such as oil and gas and the new digital age (ICT). This will give them
the opportunity to undergo training and make them employable which help clamp down on unemployment.
From the foregoing, it can be inferred that despite the enormity of the problem of unemployment among school leavers, there are always ways to remedy the situation. It is my fervent hope that these suggestions being given on a daily basis by scores of people and not only my good self be given serious attention and consideration by government. Your comments and views are welcome in the comment section below. And for further consultation or questions, please email to hrforumonline@gmail.com.
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Source: HR Forum News
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