“The success that will be delivered tomorrow must be nurtured and developed today” – Anonymous.
It is against this backdrop that Non-Alcoholic Beverage giant, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC), stepped to the fore at the recent career fair organised by the Pan-Atlantic University to encourage and contribute its part to nurturing the future of the country; providing a platform where the best talents can be engaged and absorbed into the job market.
With the unemployment rate continuously rising, more and more University. Polytechnic and College of Education graduates are churned out daily with little or no hope of securing their desired jobs. A massive dearth exists between this number of graduates and those deemed employable by organisations. This gulf in employability necessitated the career fair organized by Pan-Atlantic University, geared at providing clarity on graduate expectation and company required skill.
Speaking at the “Bridging the Gap” themed fair, Keynote speaker, Olumide Sholanke, the Director of Human Resources at NBC stressed the need for students and graduates to deliberately seek to develop skills which could give them an edge in today’s competitive marketplace. He mentioned the need for students to embrace teamwork, collaboration, volunteering opportunities and Internships as these provide valuable experience that companies seek when hiring.
“Volunteering is a very vital part of your journey, as it portrays you as an individual who has mastered his/her time and can appropriate it wisely. This is very key for a company like ours where volunteering is an integral part of our DNA. Also, the future is one in which teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of business, working on projects with people you may never meet, this is a social skill that must be naturally learned. “
He went on to explain the importance of internships: “Internships are a continuous learning experience- an extension of the classroom where you are empowered with a clear responsibility but also with a support network and all the learning strategies. Applying for and securing internships equip you with necessary work experience and puts you in good stead for available, full-time jobs in the organization”
Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd with over 3000 employees has constantly demonstrated the ability to attract the best talent and is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to support youth development. With programmes such as “Youth Empowered” where it provides useful training for youths in business and life skills, to its training academies, where technical requirements of its operations are taught, the company continues to forge ahead in developing tomorrow’s leaders.
The event served as a meeting point for industry and talent with an array of other human resource experts present to engage the new graduates as they prepare for the next steps in their career journey.
