adminEmmanuel Ndlovu
TO graduate is the dream of every college student. It is a remarkable moment that marks the eligibility of every graduate to be employed in the formal sector. A new life is begun after graduation which may either involve great disappointments or fulfilment in life depending on the attitude of the person when faced with modern-day adversities.
In Zimbabwe, just like in any other country, thousands of students graduate every Year from various institutions of higher learning.
They walk out of the colleges with diplomas, first class degrees and Masters Degrees with all the confidence of getting the job of their dreams on the job market.
Two weeks ago about 2 001 students graduated from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) in Bulawayo.
After this grand moment which most graduates had been eagerly waiting for, some of them threw huge parties to celebrate. Indeed it is the beginning of a new phase in life that deserves merriment.
After all who would not throw a party in celebration of his or her academic achievement? There is a reason to be merry because some would have made financial sacrifices in order to get that degree or masters they had been longing for over the years.
However, the majority of graduates end up getting frustrated along the way due to failure to get proper employment.
As a result, some end up flocking to neighbouring countries and countries abroad with the hope of finding the job of their dreams.
Others hustle their way through uneven conditions and end up taking up whatever means of survival that comes their way.
This is a challenge that faces most graduates not only in Zimbabwe but in countries with advanced economies as well. Higher learning institutions churn out more graduates than the job market can absorb.
According to the 2012 national census, youths are said to constitute about 60 percent of the population.
They also constitute about 54 percent of the total labour force which is not formally employed but engaged in the informal sector.
It is also said that out of 300 000 young people who flood the job market annually from education systems, less than 10 percent of these are absorbed into the formal sector.
Graduates face huge challenges acquiring necessary employment because the ground we are standing on has shifted.
The traditional era where graduates left colleges and looked for jobs in the corporate world has passed.
The modern lifestyle and the challenges it brings to society has altered our way of life in every sphere. For instance, the development of the internet and other computer-based systems of carrying out work duties has affected the practice of certain professional disciplines and thus rendering them outdated. The proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has tended to reduce the number of job vacancies on the job market.
For this and other reasons, unemployment is now a global challenge because of ICTs whose effects cut across nations.
We are now in a period where graduates are expected to be job creators and not necessarily job seekers. Entrepreneurship is fast becoming the alternative for unemployment worldwide.
This new phenomenon has to do with the development of individual mind sets, skills and capabilities that can be applied to create value in a range of contexts and enterprises.
Lord Bilimoria, a successful businessman based in the United Kingdom delved much on the necessity of creating entrepreneurial graduates in his 2008 article titled Developing Entrepreneurial Graduates.
He revealed that entrepreneurship is not solely about business skills or starting new ventures but a way of thinking and behaving relevant to all parts of society and economy.
He added that entrepreneurship implies working for a company within one’s field of study but however exhibiting relevant innovations and new ways of tackling problems.
Entrepreneurial skills in this regard can be demonstrated at a work situation or through starting a new venture.
The street saying “being current is the currency of these days,” is quite applicable to modern life as it talks about how creative and well-versed one is with new trends and tactics of conducting daily pursuits.
Challenges bedevilling most corporates on the local and international arena require individuals with innovative abilities that go beyond an academic certificate.
Companies need graduates who will add value and probably shift the way they operate in order to beat competition and improve their profitability.
The number of degrees that one has and the highest level of education attained no longer matter; what is essential is how innovative and entrepreneurial one is.
Those who abandon the orthodox ways of conducting their daily operations as taught in the highest institutions of learning and invent ideas that suit their work environment tend to make it in the business world.
Due to the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills among students, most universities and colleges have recently started offering courses for entrepreneurship as they have realised how significant this aspect is in the job market and world of business.
However, the development of entrepreneurship needs a conducive environment that supports them.
In most African countries, the growth of small enterprises has been stunted by lack of full support from governing authorities and limited co-operation from financial institutions.
Banks often view emerging entrepreneurs as a high risk due to lack of necessary collateral. Yet it has been proven across the globe that entrepreneurs help create jobs and enhance economic growth.
In Zimbabwe, the Zanu-PF Government has gone a long way in offering necessary support to small enterprises through the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development.
Moreover, since the implementation of the indigenisation and economic empowerment programme started a few years ago, youths have been provided an opportunity to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into real and successful ventures.
The country has demonstrated to other African nations and world at large on the necessity of developing and nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit among people particularly the youths.
The Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment has been the open platform for graduates to access funds set for the development of their enterprises.
The ministry has established youth empowerment facilities which seek to fund a number of youth projects. This facility is executed in conjunction with financial institutions such as CBZ Bank, Stanbic and Allied Bank.
It takes a corresponding action from youths themselves to grab such opportunities provided by the Government. Flocking to neighbouring countries which are also facing economic downturns is no longer a solution.
A change of mentality in terms of searching for opportunities within the country through utilising Government policies set for youths seems to be the way forward.
Online Reporter