The need for students to develop their skills, build capacity and graduate with a good grade was discussed extensively at the Town and Gown Interaction organised by the Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Ota last week.
The guest speaker and Managing Partner, Factbase Consulting Limited, Mr Samuel Akinsulere and the Head of the Department, Dr Henry Okodua, passionately advised the students to ensure that they graduate with a good grade so that they can be industry relevant and their Curriculum Vitae can speak for them.
Mr Akinsulere, in his paper titled, “Academia Versus Industry Partnership: Towards Enhancing Consultancy Culture and Products Development,” had noted that graduates with a Third Class Degree in their first degree are not considered employable despite acquiring additional degrees.
“Gone are the days when ‘school cert’ or the family name, will open doors for you. Nowadays, employers don’t even consider third class graduates for employment.
“If you find yourself in that category, please strive hard to move up in order to be relevant out there,” he advised.
He enumerated employers’ general expectation of potential employees which include: quality of education, quality of work experience, overall personal impact, communication, technical competence, analytical ability, leadership and managerial ability, integrity, motivation and goals.
While describing consultancy as the business of providing professional help and advice about a particular subject, he noted that the various needs of the people (clients) should be the basis of academia and industry partnership.
The guest speaker also advised that the lecturers and by extension, the University should engage in consultancy projects beyond the University campus in order to enhance their practical knowledge and impact the same knowledge on their students.
The Head of Department, Dr Henry Okodua in his remarks stated that the seminar was put together for the students to learn of the current trends and expectations in the industry and expressed belief that a lot of lessons were drawn from the wealth of experience of the guest speaker.
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