Skill Acquisition is the ability to be trained on a particular task or function and become an expert in it.
The youths are always being referred to as the leaders of tomorrow. They are also seen as the backbone of a nation and have a higher success rate to change the dynamic situations so as to have new model modifications in the society.
The growth of a nation lies in the hands of the youth of the nation. The individual is characterized by power and energy, capabilities and will to support the nation systems.
It may be in administration, politics, commerce, religion, education and science technology, the youths needed to serve as the lubricant for wheels of change and development of their nation.
Nigeria as the giant of Africa, is a country that is blessed with a large population and mineral resources. Youths become dynamic in actions and play important roles in the political and socio-economic system of the nation.
Many Nigerian youths have engaged in the implementations of skills and entrepreneurship to make sure they bring Nigeria into a new world.
What I mean by bringing Nigeria into a new world is the development of the nation to our dream Land. Those that are from poor backgrounds work hard to preserve themselves against poverty, they engage themselves in entrepreneurship and skills.
Many Nigerians of today have come to realize that there is nothing left for us in the country, because there are a lot of graduates out there without being employed. Most graduates engage themselves in skills because that’s the way out for them to be successful.
As young people and future leaders of this country, we must work hard or engage in different activities, both in social, political and economic ways. We must work to discover our hidden talents, work out our ideas in every activity of life and set our thoughts to the growth and development of the nation.
We youths must be given equal opportunity that will not promote discrimination or spell class of living.
We vote in the politicians to serve our interests and we rely on them to build the nation, but we are seen by them as agents and weapons to conquer oppositions during elections.
Importance of Skills Acquisition
Skill acquisition is described as the tool for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger with the aim of paving way for employment and creating an avenue for jobs and wealth creation that may bring about self-sufficiency and reliance and contribute to the growth of the economy in the country (Isaac,2015).
Skill is very important in the life of every human being. The reason ‘why’ many technicians earn more than University graduates is because the technician acquired more practical skills than the theories, unlike the graduates who were fed with theoretical experiences alone while in their universities.
Skills can take you to places you do not expect you will find yourself in life.
It is really unfortunate that there is a huge rate of unemployment in many parts of the world, especially in Nigeria. It is estimated that the continent of Africa has the highest rate of unemployed youths.
The major causes of the problem facing youths in our society today is the lack of skills to back up what they have learnt from their institution of learning. Most youths ought to engage themselves into different skills like carpentry, fashion designing, hairdressing and others, but they neglected and underrated these skills.
Assuming they have learnt a skill or another, the rate of unemployment would have reduced in the country.
One of the major Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) Which Nigeria aimed to achieve in 2015 was the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger with the target of encouraging the proportion of people who earn less than a dollar a day to engage in skills acquisition.
People need skills to operate and administer government and industrial skill workers in the area of office management, accounting, typing and short-hand in order to ensure that accurate records are duly kept and that administrative efficiency is functionally maintained.
Skill Acquisition is paramount in the education sector because its contribution to the development of the nation’s human capital and employment can not be undermined.
Thus an educated man is expected to produce advanced technology, economic development, political stability etc. All these made possible by educational theory and practices.
In Nigeria today there is a need for skilled personnel who will be enterprising and be self reliant.
Finally, I would like to encourage my fellow youths to engage themselves fully in skills to be able to preserve themselves against poverty and remain self employed.
Folorunsho Medeenat Olajumoke is student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto.
