By Our Reporter
Ron Kawamara, the CEO Jumia Uganda has advised students to acquire more soft skills as they prepare to enter the employment world. He emphasized that soft skills are very important because often it is what employers use to decide whether or not to hire someone.
Kawamara made the remarks while speaking as a panelist at the opening day of the annual NSSF Career Expo on Wednesday.
“When I graduated, and didn’t get a job immediately, I decided to do internships. Through these I built skills that did help me when I was ready to start a business,” Kawamara revealed.
“While at university and even after, things may not be very clear; you may still not be sure about what you want to do or even the jobs may not even be there. But what are you doing in the meantime? Are you growing your skill set? By skill set, I don’t mean the hard skills acquired in class. What will make a difference for you is the soft skills, and these are not taught in class.” He added.
The Career Expo, now in its 10th year, is being held virtually under the theme, “Repurposing your Career Goals to the New Normal”. This year’s edition is aimed at equipping university students with employment and entrepreneurial skills for the “new normal” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Milton Owor, the NSSF Head Human Resource & Administration who was also speaking at the same event advised students to focus on excelling in their studies first, and they can later discover their passion.
“What you need to do while at campus is focus on getting is getting the best degree you can get. It is after this that you can then determine what your passion is and pursue it.” Owor said.
The expo will run for three days until this Friday, 26th March. To participate in the expo, register here.
