8 Extremely Important Facts About Skills Acquisition, Number 8 is a Must Read

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You must have been hit by the agony of unemployment, you are probably looking for what to do to make money. The frustration has so intensified that it seems there is no way out especially considering the economy and the way things are in Nigeria right now.

The level of unemployment is so high and keeps increasing by the day. 

Every year, the universities pour into the labour market thousands of fresh graduates who compete for jobs that are not even available.

This is alarming!

Also,

Have you noticed that majority of the population especially graduates and undergraduates often dream of getting white collar jobs without giving skills acquisition a chance?

They believe say people wey dey learn hand work na those people wey no do well for school. Hmmm!

This may have applied to you as well

To an extent that if you do not have the opportunity to secure a white collar job, you believe you have bad luck or some witches from your village does not want you to succeed.

With this mindset of securing a white collar job, the idea of acquiring skills doesn't really click.

Much emphasis is not laid on practical skills because of the general thinking that you can only make it in life when you go to school, graduate with the best result and get a good white collar job

The idea of acquiring skills has been underemphasized

In this post,

You will get to know about skills acquisition and some extremely important facts about skills acquisition that can lead to complete elimination of unemployment.

Let's dive in!

Page content

What is a skill?

What is skill acquisition?

3 Categories of skills with examples

Important facts about skills acquisition

How to acquire skills

Conclusion.

What is a skill?

A skill is an ability you acquire by training which enables you to do a particular job well or solve a problem.

There are 3 categories of skills which you'll learn as you read on.

What is skill acquisition?

Skill acquisition means possessing an ability to do a particular thing or solve a particular problem. This is done through repeated practice till mastery is achieved. It is mostly done for the purpose of earning a living.

There are skills set that you can acquire relating to a particular job or profession to help you do the job very well.

3 Categories of skills with examples

a. Soft Skills

You must have heard about this category of skills which can give you an edge during job application.

Soft skills has to do with your personality. 

They are the abilities that relate to how you work and how you interact with other people at work. Soft skills includes how you interact with colleagues, how you manage your work and how you solve problems at work.

These set of skills are very essential in a work environment. Let's look at some examples of soft skills.

• Communication
• Teamwork
• Creative thinking
• Adaptability
• Leadership
• Dependability
• Listening skills
• Work ethics
• Critical thinking
• Negotiation
• Positivity
• Time management
• Motivation
• Conflict resolution
• Problem-solving

The next category of skill is the one you are mostly familiar with. 

b. Vocational Skills

These are first hand skills that help a person master a trade or a job.

This is a type of skill that is acquired at a vocational training center, it does not require a formal education but in most cases needs apprenticeship. 

Now let's look at some examples of these vocational skills.

• Fashion design
• Hair dressing/Hair styling
• Plumbing
• Photography/Videography
• Makeup Artistry
• Event planning
• Interior and exterior decoration
• Arts and crafts
• Home cleaning
• Electrical repairs and installation
• House Painting
• Catering
• Automobile servicing
• Welding and fabrication
• Carpentry
• Driving

The third category

c. Technical Skills

These are also known as hard skills. 

They are skills required to perform practical task relating to science, technology, arts, maths and engineering.

They involve the use of digital tools.

See some examples of technical skills.

• Coding and programing languages
• Data analysis
• Technical writing
• Software development
• Project management
• Common operating system
• Social media
• Ms word

Now you've known these 3 categories of skills

But

This is the main part

8 extremely important facts about skills acquisition

Skills acquisition in Nigeria is more important today than any other time due to the increased rate of graduate unemployment and underemployment.

Whether you are in secondary school (high school), higher institution, a graduate or you don't even have the opportunity to further your education,

These facts will open your eyes

Check them out

Fact #1: Skills acquisition eliminates unemployment

When there is an increase in skilled man power, this means there will be increase in the number of people qualified for available jobs which increases the chances of you being employed.

And

Even though you can't get employed to work for someone or a firm, you can employ yourself, this is called self-employment. This will lead us to the next point.

Fact #2: Skill acquisition leads to small business start ups

Yeah! 

Acquiring skills will open your mind to new business ideas, inspiration, techniques, strategies etc. 

You will discover that you that was busy carrying brown envelop upandan (up and down) looking for white collar job will soon start feeling this I can be a boss spirit hovering over you.

From there, you have the inspiration to start up a business, you may start as a one man business then as you grow you employ more hands and expand.

The next point is actually surprising

Fact #3: Skills acquisition reduces illiteracy rate

How?

Let's see

By the time more people especially the youths acquire skills, they get to learn, read, study, practice, write and receive trainings. 

By so doing, they acquire knowledge, learn to identify patterns, read, write, interact with learned individuals thereby adding value to themselves and reducing the level of illiteracy.

Fact #4: Skills acquisition provides employment

Oh! This should be the king of them all

A skilled individual is not without employment unless he or she doesn't want to work. 

If you are good at something and you can get paid for doing it, then that's a job already available for you. 

Acquiring a skill can give you an edge over unemployment.

The next point is what you don't want to hear

Really?

Or maybe not.

Fact #5: Skills acquisition Leads to income generation

Now let's put it short.

You have a skill, you render a service based on the skill you have, you get paid for your service. 

That's all.

It's not only white collar job that brings in money but your skill can put food on your table and pay your bills. 

For example, Your skill is graphics design and you're very good at it,

What happens is that from time to time, people will request for your services and then pay you.

Check out the next fact

Fact #6: Skill acquisition Leads to reduction in crime rate

One of the reasons someone goes into commiting a crime like rubbery could be to satisfy his hungry stomach. 

If such an individual learns a skill be it soft skill like good communication, vocational skill like fashion design, or technical skill like programing, chances are that he will have something to do to generate income for himself thereby declining from criminal activities.

The next fact is very necessary

Fact #7: Skill acquisition results in self-reliance and independence

Do you feel frustrated about your routine 9-5 job? 

The solution could be learning a relevant skill and trying your hands on some thing to generate income for yourself. 

I have heard a testimony of a lady who got so frustrated with her routine 9-5 job with a lot of work load and a salary of ₦25,000 

She wanted to quit and start an online business of supplying foodstuffs and running errands for people. 

At first she was so afraid to quit her job because of fear of the unknown.

She had started the business while still going to work but couldn't focus on it because her job took almost all of her time.

She later took a bold step and quit the job, focused on her business and hasn't regretted since then.

If you find yourself in a similar situation you may just have to think twice and decide the best way forward for you just like she did.

Fact #8: Skill acquisition creates diverse job opportunities

This is the real truth, no individual with at least 2 high in demand skills will be without employment, whether self employed, hired or fully employed. 

So this is the secret to securing a job fast and staying employed no matter what.

Grab it and run with it.

Next,

How to acquire skills

1. Decide on the skill you want to learn.

Yes it starts with decision making and the best time is now, not later. 

You don't have to wait for the perfect idea to drop in your head before you move because the perfect idea never drops, you grab the idea and make it perfect.

2. Do your research about the area you have decided to learn.

You can do both online and offline research. Ask questions, visit training centers just to be fully informed.

3. Register for both offline and online trainings or at least one of them.

GO ahead and register for training at a training center and or take online courses

4. Be committed to your training and take it seriously.

Commitment is what will actually lead you to the end, always remember the reason you started at first. 

Stay committed afterall na you go enjoy your money at the end.

Conclusion

Let it be a personal decision to contribute to the reduction of the number of unemployed youths in Nigeria or any region you find yourself.

You have just realized how acquiring skills can remove you from the labour market, put food on your table, make you a boss and much more.

So go ahead and do something about your unemployed status or increase your income or build a career for yourself.

If you have found this article helpful, someone somewhere might need it too, share it to them.

Feel free to drop a comment about your view of acquiring skills or share how acquiring skills has helped your life.