As part of efforts to produce fit-for-purpose and future-ready graduates by Nigerian universities, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Unilever Nigeria Plc have teamed up to contribute significantly towards the actualisation of the goal in Nigeria.

To this end, the two organisations were at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, on Thursday, July 4, organising a one-day career and self-skills development program for the students of the institution.

The programme, which was held at the main auditorium of the university has thousands of students from across disciplines in attendance.

UNILAG is said to be one of the 20 universities in the country selected for the training, which was tagged: “Future Unilever Campus Ambassadors Program (FUCAP).”

Three million youths are the target but about 700,000 of them are expected to have been adequately equipped with the skills in focus for the project by the year 2026.

Speaking with Tribune Online on a sideline at the UNILAG event on Thursday, Programme Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, Mr Bharat Kundra, highlighted why youths must have to possess skills beyond what formal education can offer in this changing world.

According to him, the world is changing and so also the knowledge and skills needed for people to remain relevant and competitive in the emerging market.

He said UNICEF Nigeria is doing all it can through various programmes to equip youths with requisite knowledge and skills that will enhance their formal education and expose them to opportunities in the world of work, now and in the future.

He said one of such initiatives is the partnership with Nigeria Unilever on FUCAP with a focus on students on campuses.

He explained that FUCAP is designed to reach 3 million youths and equip about 700, 000 of them with the 21st-century skills that will make them become the most sought-after in both local and global markets.

He listed those skills to include but not limited to effective communication, collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, digital and financial literacy, and emotional resilience.

Kundra, while acknowledging that every country globally has its peculiar challenges such as access to electricity and the internet as Nigeria has, declared that youths as agents of change, can still work over those challenges with resilience and optimism to make things happen positively.

He, therefore, urged youths to acquire those skills, and take initiative, explore opportunities, share ideas and be optimistic, saying doing so would enable them to have a secure future.

On her part, the People Partner, Unilever Nigeria and FUCAP Project Lead, Zainab Ajadi, also stressed the importance of youths acquiring those skills to thrive in the workplace and be self-sustaining in their respective endeavours.

She noted that Unilever Nigeria is passionate and committed to helping young people reach their full potential and contribute to the development of the country, hence the company partnering with UNICEF which has a similar goal in that regard.

She noted that participants in FUCAP, who could demonstrate most of these skills have the opportunities to get jobs or do internship programs with the company.

In her own remarks, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), UNILAG, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, acknowledged the need for youths to be well-equipped with knowledge and skills that would make them socially relevant even while still in school.

She said that was why UNILAG takes entrepreneurship and innovation programmes very seriously for all its students across disciplines ahead of graduation.

She noted that the agenda of the university apart from carrying out cutting-edge research activities and community engagements, is to produce future-ready graduates.

Atsenua commended UNICEF and Unilever Nigeria for coming up with FUCAP and also for making UNILAG students part of the beneficiaries, saying the impact of the programme will go beyond them.

Some of the students told Tribune Online that the training and exposure offered by the programme would greatly enhance their knowledge gained at the university.