‘Skill gap worsens graduate employability’
Nigeria’s employability crisis has come under renewed scrutiny, with stakeholders warning that outdated curricula and weak industry alignment are leaving graduates ill-prepared for the modern workforce. At a roundtable
- By Anne Agbi
Nigeria’s employability crisis has come under renewed scrutiny, with stakeholders warning that outdated curricula and weak industry alignment are leaving graduates ill-prepared for the modern workforce.
At a roundtable with theme: “Bridging the Skill Gap between Education and Industry Needs in Nigeria,” stakeholders said findings showed a disconnect between job seekers and employers’ expectations. They agreed urgent reforms are needed to align education with workplace realities.
Managing Director of Proten International, Deborah Yemi-Oladayom, said despite receiving between 30 to 40 job requests daily, many candidates were rejected for lacking required competencies.
She described the skills gap as multidimensional.
“We kept getting feedback from organisations that the candidates we presented were not qualified enough. This continued for a while, and we realised we needed data to validate what was happening, not just assumptions.
“About 60 per cent of lecturers we surveyed said their curriculum has not been reviewed in the last six years, which is a major concern in a fast-changing world.”
She stressed beyond curriculum reform, lecturers must be retrained and equipped ton updated content, while calling for stronger collaboration between government, academia and industry to drive change.
“If you redesign the curriculum, you must also retrain the lecturers. You cannot expect them to give what they do not have,” she said.
Read Also: Compound 27 hits screens with humor, heart, and everyday Nigerian stories
Corroborating, former Rector of Lagos State Polytechnic, Oluremi Olaleye, faulted the private sector for demanding job-ready graduates without engaging regulators.
“They want ready-made graduates, yet they are not coming forward to say what exactly is missing. If they identify skill gaps, they should approach the regulatory bodies and have those competencies embedded in the curriculum,” he said, maintaining that Nigerian university curricula largely meet global standards.
Founder of Treford Africa, Harry Enaholo, said the rapid pace of technological change had worsened the mismatch between education and employment.
He says fresh graduates often compete with candidates who already have years of experience.
“It’s not entirely the graduates’ fault. The world is evolving too fast. Many people graduate into a job market that no longer matches what they studied.
“The time to start learning these skills is as early as possible, even before graduation,” he added.
