EAPEAN Urges Government to Prioritise Practical Skills to Tackle Unemployment

By Our Reporter

The Employers Association for Private Employment Agencies of Nigeria (EAPEAN) has called on the Federal Government to intensify investment in vocational, technical and practical skills development as part of efforts to address unemployment and improve workforce productivity.

The President and Chairman of Council of EAPEAN, Chief Nzeribe Okegbue, made the call at the association’s 12th Annual National Workshop and 15th Annual General Meeting held at NECA House, Lagos.

Okegbue maintained that academic qualifications alone were no longer sufficient to guarantee employment in an increasingly competitive labour market, stressing the need to equip young Nigerians with practical competencies that respond to the changing needs of employers.

“The job market has evolved beyond paper qualifications. While education provides the foundation, practical skills are what drive productivity and sustained employment in today’s economy,” he said.

He urged the government to strengthen vocational and technical education, including skills acquisition programmes for participants in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), to enable young people to become productive contributors to the economy.

According to him, practical skills would improve graduates’ employability, enhance their capacity to generate income and enable them to create value while pursuing long-term career opportunities.

The EAPEAN president noted that collaboration among government institutions, licensed private employment agencies, employers and development partners was essential to expanding employment opportunities and building a resilient workforce.

He disclosed that companies operating within the association’s network contribute significantly to employment generation, with EAPEAN highlighting its members’ role in supporting employment for millions of workers across different sectors and locations.

Okegbue also called for greater recognition of private employment agencies as strategic partners in national workforce development, noting that their involvement in recruitment, outsourcing, staffing and talent placement positions them to contribute meaningfully to efforts to bridge the gap between education and employment.

He emphasised that job creation must go hand in hand with decent working conditions, fair and ethical recruitment and compliance with applicable labour standards.

The association, he said, would continue to promote professional recruitment practices and encourage its members to invest in human capital development.

In a related intervention, Mr. Aderemi Adegboyega, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Workmen and Talents Limited, described the workshop as an opportunity for recruitment and staffing professionals to update their knowledge of human resource management, particularly in relation to third-party workers.

He said continuous training was necessary for agency executives and employees to improve service delivery, productivity and workforce management.

A representative of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM), Mr. Gbenga Odetunde, also commended EAPEAN for promoting good employment practices and called on industry operators to embrace professionalism.

He stressed that organisations could not sustain their operations without investing in the people and skills on which their productivity depends.

The workshop and AGM brought together representatives of government, employers’ organisations, organised labour, international development institutions and human resource professionals to discuss challenges and opportunities in Nigeria’s employment sector.

Goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Returns and Reintegration Assistance (IRARA), NECA, CIPM and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Lagos State Council.

EAPEAN said it would continue to advocate policies and partnerships that improve access to employment, strengthen professional standards and support the development of a skilled and productive Nigerian workforce.