BMU Career Service Centre Holds Training to Boost Employability and Industry Readiness. By Chris Mark
BMU Career Service Centre Holds Training to Boost Employability and Industry Readiness
By Chris Mark
The Career Service Centre at Bayelsa Medical University, BMU, held a one-day capacity-building training aimed at providing innovative career services that foster employability, entrepreneurship, and professional leadership.
The training was held on Thursday, May 14, at the University Auditorium in Yenagoa for final-year and alumni students.
In his welcome address, the Head of the BMU Career Service Centre, Dr. Tam Eseimo, said the centre was established in response to growing concerns about the relevance and sustainability of Nigerian graduates’ certificates in the labour market.
He said reports had shown that inadequacies in the quality of education and graduates’ deficiency in the skills and attitudes required in workplaces made it imperative for institutions like BMU to take proactive steps.
“The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has taken the lead in redeeming the country’s image by identifying the need for Career Service Centres for student career guidance in Nigerian institutions of higher education. This training is strategically timed in alignment with the A.S.P.I.R.E. Agenda of Bayelsa Medical University, championed by our Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dimie Ogoina,” he said.
“To our final-year students and alumni, the ‘Selected Personal and Interpersonal Skills’ you will learn today are the catalysts that turn a degree into a career. The global healthcare space does not just hire certificates; it hires people who can communicate, lead, and adapt,” Eseimo stated.
Speaking on the sidelines, BMU Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Ebi Ligha, who represented the Vice Chancellor, said the centre was created to prepare students for a job market where white-collar roles are increasingly scarce.
“The white-collar job is not just available anywhere. They are scarce. So what we do is actually train our students so that they will be equipped to face the challenges ahead,” Prof. Ligha said.
He explained that the centre, housed in a renovated building supported by TETFund, serves as a hub where students can develop skills that enable them to be self-reliant and not depend solely on minimum-wage employment.
Prof. Ligha stressed that self-reliance is critical in the current Nigerian economy, noting that the minimum wage alone cannot meet most needs, particularly for those supporting extended families.
He said the centre would also support students across BMU’s professional programmes, including MBBS, medical laboratory science, and theatre technology, by training them to better engage with patients and clients in their fields.
“This is a very laudable project we are commissioning today. We encourage our students to participate and ensure that they own this facility,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to TETFund for the intervention, describing it as timely for a medical university training professionals across multiple disciplines.
In his goodwill message, the representative of Teachers Without Borders, Mr. Chris Okiama, described the centre as a timely intervention to prepare students for a competitive job market.
Okiama noted that unlike in the past when graduates easily secured jobs, today’s graduates must acquire additional skills alongside their degrees.
He expressed appreciation to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dimie Ogoina, and other principal officers of the university for their leadership and support toward the educational development of the institution. Gratitude was also extended to resource persons, stakeholders, and well-wishers who attended the event.
Students were urged to remain steadfast and to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the centre. “Let us continue to celebrate our educational heritage and work together towards a brighter and more prosperous future for Bayelsa Medical University. Education is power, and we must work collectively to achieve positive results,” he said.
Speaking after delivering a paper on occupational safety and health, Dr. Patani Edmond, an occupational health and safety consultant and coordinator of the Department of Biology at BMU, said the lecture was designed to prepare students for employment in oil and gas companies and other established organizations where occupational health and safety compliance is a key requirement.
“What we are looking at is how we can prepare our students to qualify for employment in most of these oil and gas companies and other established organizations regarding occupational health and safety,” he said.
He explained that the programme aims to help students build careers beyond academic certifications by acquiring additional professional qualifications required for employment in the sector.
The initiative is part of efforts to put in place a system that allows students to grow their careers and meet industry standards before graduation.
