Career expert urges end to age discrimination in recruitment

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The President and Founder of Liberty Career Academy, Gbenga Rufai, has called for measures to prevent age discrimination in recruitment, stressing that Nigerians should be given fair opportunities to compete for jobs regardless of their age.

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Rufai made the call in an interview on Wednesday at the 10th edition of the Career and Stewardship Bootcamp organised by Liberty Career Academy at the Triple C Event Centre, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos.

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He said while organisations had the right to determine their recruitment policies, there was a need for legislation to ensure that qualified individuals were not excluded from employment opportunities solely because of their age.

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He said, “Each organisation is at liberty to set its recruitment policies, but I also feel that there has to be some legislation to ensure that no individual is left out of the recruitment process because of their age.

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“It is important to avoid, as much as possible, situations where individuals are left out of certain opportunities because of their age.

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“I also realise that there are certain programmes that require a certain demography. That is understandable, but as much as possible, as long as there is no discrimination, everybody should get a fair shot at employment.”

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Speaking on the country’s workforce and skills gap, Rufai said Nigeria was producing millions of young people who needed to be equipped with relevant skills to improve their employability and contribution to the economy.

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He said, “Nigeria produces a huge number- millions of young people. We really need to keep addressing those gaps in terms of skills.”

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Explaining the rationale behind the bootcamp, Rufai said many young people lacked career clarity and direction, making it necessary to expose them to mentorship, information and guidance early in life.

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He said, “Most young people do not have career clarity and direction. They need mentorship and information. So, instead of waiting until they finish graduating, we feel it is better to catch them young.

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“The programme is a two-day, non-residential bootcamp targeted at young people between the ages of 14 and 22, covering senior secondary school students to fresh graduates.”

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According to him, participants would be exposed to training sessions, learning activities, panel discussions, interactive sessions and masterclasses designed to help them make informed career decisions.

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The event also featured a panel session titled, “Conversations on Identity, Purpose and Career Growth.”

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The panel comprised Rufai, broadcaster Abosede Adeniran-Adeyemi and Oladimeji Gbolahan.

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