The labour market is inun- dated with many applicants. Too many applications chasing few vacancies. In our localities, it is common to find a large array of people with diplomas and various degrees yet with no jobs. It is common knowledge that  graduates of  most Nigerian universities find it hard to get employment every year. The curricula of the universities and other tertiary schools which place so much emphasis on training for white-collar jobs, have made it difficult for our school graduates to get themselves economically fixed after school.
Government at all levels from time to time, tries to make avenues that would enable the needed environment for the employment of everyone. This is necessary  to reduce the rate of unemployment and total reliance on government.  In 1987, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was established; the directorate was mandated to deal with rising trend of unemployment through training people in various skills. Skill acquisition is one of the important pillars that help many in actualising their dreams and aid those who are not privileged to work with public or private organisations with academic certificates to have livelihoods.
The essence of skills acquisition is as the relevancy of water to living beings. Skills increase employment opportunities and reduce crime  in societies.Year-in-year-out, thousands of students graduate from secondary schools and higher institutions of learning, and move around in search of greener pastures. A conscious effort at exposing young school leavers to  skills would help them have better resources as well as be well equipped for financial management, improved strategic planning and curtailing crises in organisations, due to experiences garnered.
Thus, students’ enrollment in skills acquisition programmes while studying would also reduce the burdens which parents bear on their behalf.The importance of skills acquisition therefore, cannot be over emphasised. It should be made compulsory for senior secondary school students and at various tertiary institutions. The government can make this possible by providing items needed for training, such as technical and vocational devices, machines and tools necessary for take off,  free of charge , putting in place regular supervision of the training activities. This no doubt,  will inspire many to enroll and become beneficiaries too.
Besides, success, it is said, is depended on having alternative sources of income  no matter how little. This is very crucial. Skills can do a lot of great work in the life of every living soul.
Nigeria, like other developing countries is faced with a number of problems ranging from youth and graduate unemployment, high level of poverty, insurgency, conflict and diseases to insincerity, over dependency on foreign-made goods, low economic growth and development, lack of capacity and required skills to move the economy forward and urbanisation. Unemployment has become a major problem bedevilling the lives of youths and graduates causing frustration, depression, dejection and dependency on family members and friends. The high level of unemployment among this population in Nigeria has contributed to the high rate of insecurity, violence in elections and poverty. A skilled worker is one who is adept in the trade or a person who has attained excellence in a particular trade or undertaking. Skills acquisition, therefore, involves painstaking effort, discipline, practice and drill as well as reviews.
A skill can be defined as the ability to do something well, usually gained through training or experience. Skills acquisition, on the other hand, involves the development of a new skill, practice or a way of doing things, usually gained through training or experience. Skills acquisition is the science that underpins movement learning and execution and is more commonly termed motor learning and control.There are basically three stages of skills acquisition: the cognitive stage, associative stage, and the autonomous stage. The first stage is when you are still battling with the skill, the second is when you are practising the skill, and the third is when you are already an expert of the skills.The importance of skills acquisition in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised. And for Nigeria to be economically self-reliant, we must necessarily diversify our economy and as well encourage the youth to embrace self-employment through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, self-reliance and financial empowerment. Skill is very important in the life of every citizen. The reason why many technicians earn more than some university graduates is that the technicians acquired more skills than the theories the graduates were fed with when they were in universities. It can take you to places you do not expect you will ever find yourself.
Today, there are many unemployed graduates in the world. One of the problems of the education system of Africa is that it does not give much room to skills development . There are so many benefits obtainable from skills acquisition, such as: Self-employment, diverse job opportunities, employment generation, effective function ,  enhancement of activities,crime reduction and wealth creation. Some of the skills needed for these benefits listed above are: adaptive thinking, communication skills, collaboration skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, personal management, inquiry skills, technology skills, creativity and innovation, soft skills, empathy and perspective.

By: Favour Harry
Harry is a free lancer with The Tide.