BY: EMMANUEL CHUKWUMA, ENUGU.
A resourceful and reputable business development, management and consultancy company, B.O.S.S Resources and Consults Ltd, has called on youths to develop skills, display creativity and job employability.
This was made known by the convener of the event, and Executive Director of the organization, Chief Sir Francis Owums, while presenting an address at the youth summit, held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
Chief Owums highlighted that the summit is a career focused workshop for youths which aimed at developing their careers to enable them fit in effectively into modern business establishment.
According to him, different organizations were brought in to give immediate employment to the youths in attendance at the event.
Chief Sir Francis Owums who is the Executive Director of the company said that the major purpose for the programme is to help the youths unlock their potentials and expose them to current business initiatives that is taking over the employment space while putting them in the same room with employers and job opportunities.
He revealed that over the past ten years, the firm has built and developed over 200 businesses nationwide and has been at the forefront of building and running businesses for Nigerians at home and in diaspora.
Chief Owums noted sadly that the youths of Owerri do not meet the employability standards which has forced his company and many other Consultancy and recruitment firms in the state to search for employees from outside the state, when they want to fill up important positions.
The B.O.S.S Executive Director noted that in the past five years, the decline has become so terrible to an extent the youths are been stigmatized as employers are scared of hiring them because of their track record of unprofessionalism and unemployability.
He explained that in the past ten years of their existence, they have hired and managed over 2,000 staff for clients nationwide and sadly, the state currently has one of the worst reputation when it comes to staff quality, which forces investors and businesses owners who have businesses in the state to hire from outside instead of looking within.
The convener, however, pointed out that there are job opportunities but no employable hands to take up the opportunities.
He observed that there is decline in employability due to unemployable youths, adding that no company can operate in an environment where it can’t find viable hands to hire.
According to him, another essence for the programme is to bring the youths together and teach them how they can improve in their careers.
The most interesting part of the event was that the firm was able to bring other HR, Consultancy and Recruitment firms such as HRwithQueen Consults and Thrive Leadership Consult.
The company also brought in the HR Managers of Company’s like Access Bank, GTCo Bank, Moniepoint, MTN, Airtel and many other companies to interview and give instant employment to attendees at the event.
The Director of Human Resources and Administration of NDDC Headquarters, Port Harcourt, Chief Sir Kelechi Nwelue was also present and gave NDDC opportunities to the participants.
Notable resource persons were invited to teach and train the participants, create avenues where employers and employees can be able to meet for effective engagements.
He said, ”One of the biggest misconceptions today is that there are no jobs.But from our experiences as recruiters and business consultants, there are jobs, there are opportunities, businesses are opening, investors are investing, companies are recruiting.
“The real challenge is that employers are struggling to find people who possess the skills, competence, attitude, emotional intelligence that those opportunities require.”he said.
Chief Owums, however, regretted that it is worrisome that the state is wrongly known as a place to idle away time, when there are many untapped potentials among the youths.
in his comment, Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodinma on Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, Chinenyenwa Owuamalam said the seminar is inline with the plans of the state Government in making the youths useful to themselves and the society at large.
She commended the convener of the event for finding it imperative to help the youths chose career that will connect them to global business realities.
Owuamalam advised the participants to move beyond what they learned in the University and explore other opportunities that will bring out the potentials in them.
The Special Adviser, remarked that Government cannot employ everybody at a time but can provide avenues through which individuals can leverage on to be self reliant.
She encouraged participants to shun activities that can lead them to anti social behaviors and focus on ventures that will make them feature actively in the global market.
The resource persons in their separate lectures, harped on the importance of self improvement through constant learning and self discipline.
One of the participants, Frances Chinagorom, said it was a privilege for her to attend the programme and promised to put what she has learnt into practice and help educate others.
The event, titled, Owerri Career Day, featured career professionals, young graduates, workers and students from various institutions in the State including speakers drawn from different professional bodies and other corporate organizations .
