Lagos Business School today boosted the career prospects of some of the nation’s brightest youths with the much-anticipated Young Talent Programme (YTP).
Aimed at building a relationship with budding talents in or out of the university, the maiden edition of YTP was attended by talented undergraduates, including MSc holders and corps members with a first-class or second-class honours degree.
Dean of LBS, Dr Enase Okonedo, was on hand to welcome participants to the programme. She regaled them with her experiences as a young research assistant at LBS and how same has impacted her world view and career over the years.
Highlighting LBS’ aim to positively influence the practice of management in Africa and the world at large, she maintained that the School was a great place to work and encouraged participants to key into its vision as they make their climb up the career ladder.
With slide presentations, Professor emeritus Albert Alos traced the history of the School from inception till date. He identified how LBS had maintained its focus amidst varying challenges over time and its vision to remain a bastion of quality management education now and in the future. Participants, on their part, had a guided tour of LBS facilities, case studies, networking opportunities and panel discussions with selected LBS staff on what a career at the School demands.
“I think participants are impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities we have here,” observed Dr Uchenna Uzo, lead faculty on the YTP. “Conversations and mentoring are already taking place; some people already want to sign up for the MBA and PhD programme. So I’ll say by and large, the objective has been achieved.”
Indeed, participants lost no time eulogising the programme in so many words. Obinna Nnewuihe, a graduate of the UNILAG College of Medicine, observed that only a handful of business schools command as much clout as LBS does. “I felt the YTP was a long-awaited opportunity to connect with the LBS faculty, so I applied for the programme. Coming to LBS, I’ve noticed there’s a passion with which people work. I’m very impressed and aim to pursue a career in management finance here,” he said.
“I’m currently studying Chemical Engineering, but with my LBS experience I’m motivated to have an MBA in the field,” quipped Chika Eneh, a 300-level student of Chemical Engineering at UNILAG. “I think everyone at LBS aims for excellence, and find that very rare and wonderful.”
Going forward, successful participants will be selected for faculty training at the LBS Management Scholarship Academy; while some others will be mentored towards joining LBS as administrative staff.
