I recently had Uki Dare, Head, EdoJobs, on the interview seat on Tech Trends on Channels Television and she talks on how we can leverage technology to create more jobs and more.
CFA: What is the relevance of technology in job creation today?
Uki: The special thing about technology is that, it is inclusive in job creation, in the sense that, there are opportunities for people, no matter their level of education. For example, you can have prople, who are not necessarily graduates, working in organisations like Google, who have taken off the restrictions that you have to be a graduate to work in their organisation. It is skill-based.
You could train a young person on Artificial Intelligence, AI, or Data Sciences. They can get jobs anywhere and also, technology helps young people have access to the big economy, so, for any organization or country, or, any state that is interested in creating jobs, exploring how you can connect young people to jobs in such sectors, is easily, very effective, from what we have seen.
Things like teaching young people graphic design, web design and skills that are in high demand and of course, preparing Nigeria, for the fourth industrial revolution because, those jobs are coming and those jobs will replace existing jobs, so, while you’re thinking of creating new jobs, you have to be thinking of how to replace the jobs that are going to get extinct. The first way to do that, is to get young people to be interested and skilled, highly skilled in technology.
CFA: Talking about the 4th industrial revolution, is our educational sector, ready for it?
Uki:. Unfortunately, not exactly. I would say, not exactly because, I know some private Universities that are doing work to try and up-scale their students in that area, but the educational system, as a whole, has not yet caught up. You know, we are not yet producing graduates or secondary school students that are ready for the 4th industrial revolution. That is the special thing about Edo State, (so, please, allow me to say), because, we are already inculcating all public primary school. Technology for teaching for learning.
What it does is, the upcoming generation, should be native users of technology, so, that is the first thing, before you, even, start to talk about the hi-tech skills. I know that the educational system has a lot to do to catch up with that, but I, also, know that, some organisations, some states, some government are already looking in that area.
You can watch the full interview here
