Plateau State University Launches Pioneering Student Guidance and Counseling Initiative

Plateau State University has taken a significant step towards enhancing the academic and professional journey of its students by launching a rare initiative to offer free guidance and counseling services on career choices. The initiative makes the university one of the first ten Nigerian universities to establish a career service center and receive funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Shedrack Best, on November 29 launched the initiative, which kicked off with a crucial workshop for faculty officials. This followed the establishment of the center last March, which paved the way for its funding by TETFund under its 2024 Allocation to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.

The three-day workshop held from November 27-29 aimed to build the capacity of Deans, Directors, and Heads of Department to effectively guide and counsel students.

Prof. Best emphasized that the career service center is designed to prepare students and university staff to face the future and their careers in a guided manner.

“It is aimed at developing the university community from the key principal organs of the universities to the major administrators of the university into the students’ body in order to prepare our graduates for careers that are fruitful and to prepare them to contribute to the development of the nation in different ways,” Prof. Best stated.

Dr. Anna Fakah, the head of the center, explained that the center provides various career and employment-related services to enable students and alumni to make informed choices and find job placements that match their skills.

“This will ensure effective service delivery, national development and global competitiveness of both beneficiaries and the nation,” Dr. Fakah said.

The workshop was the first of three planned by the center this year. Renowned speakers, led by Prof. Grace Momoh, shared insights on the theme “The Roles of Career Guidance and Counseling in Fostering Various Career Alternatives”.