More than 100 recent graduates and final-year students received practical training in work-readiness and career development at the SkilledForNow 2.0 In-Person Workshop, held on June 21, 2025, at the Infinix Student Resource Center, University of Ibadan.
The number of participants also included those who joined the livestream on Shapers Network Africa’s YouTube channel.
The event, supported by the Youth Empowerment Fund with funding from the European Union in partnership with Global Youth Mobilisation, focused on equipping young people with skills to navigate the evolving world of work.
Addressing the audience, Oyindamola Osinubi, project lead for SkilledforNow 2.0, said, “It’s an initiative to bridge the gap in youth unemployment in Nigeria,” adding that the current educational system has not adequately prepared young people for the demands of the 21st-century workplace.
She also highlighted internship opportunities provided by the initiative, enabling selected participants to gain hands-on experience in various industries after the workshop and virtual bootcamp.
Kehinde Adebayo, the first speaker, delivered a session titled ‘Green Economy and the Future of Work’, where she clarified misconceptions about the green economy. “It is about incorporating greenness. It is not greenwashing,” she explained, emphasizing that a genuine green economy should include elements that promote growth such as renewable energy and green transportation.
In her talk, ‘Navigating Career Transition: From Campus to Corporate Life’, Adetola Omolewa reflected on the shift in expectations from school to work. “When opportunity meets you prepared, you’ll do much better,” she advised participants, urging them to proactively prepare for the demands of professional life.
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Her session transitioned into a panel discussion alongside Adebayo, featuring a Q&A segment with the audience and a spoken word performance by Onyekachi Gbaruko, popularly known as Kachi Fire.
The third speaker, Emmanuel Ogundare, explored ‘Leveraging Tech to Solve Local Problems and Create Opportunity’, urging young Africans to use digital tools beyond consumption. “We are all using these things, and people are still suffering,” he said, pointing to innovations like mobile banking, fintech, and educational platforms as pathways to real impact.
Rounding out the day were sessions by Peace Oyerinde on ‘Chasing Passion, Telling Stories, Building Brands and Earning Income’, and a final talk by Osinubi titled ‘Staying Ready and Relevant in the World of Work’.
Speaking with IndyPress, Osinubi reflected on the workshop’s impact. “It was refreshing to see young people not just consuming knowledge, but actively co-creating it. The energy, the connections, and the intentionality were truly remarkable. We’re proud to be building a future-ready community.”
She also confirmed that plans for a third edition are underway, noting, “Plans are being made for a third edition, which will incorporate feedback from this edition to improve on.”
