‘Varsities need applied skill, innovative training to mould employable graduates’

The need for the nation’s citadel of higher learning to urgently adopt a more robust applied skill and innovative training in order to mould employable graduates who will compete favourably among their peers has again being stressed.

Industry watchers observe that the reason graduates are unemployable is because higher institutions have neglected the place of extra curricula activities which in turn make students only theory based learners.

Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman Zinox Group observed that human creativity is the ultimate economic resource and that such creativity only becomes relevant and useful “when demonstrated through applied skill and innovation”.

Ekeh while speaking at the 19th edition of the Fafunwa Educational Foundation Lecture and Award Ceremony blamed the educational sector for the crisis rocking the various sectors and agencies in the country stressing that “lack of plan and conspiracy in the educational sector and the lack of passion found in lecturers and teachers have over the years contributed to universities churning out poorly trained graduates without the right skill set.

“Educators should teach students to be 360 degree individuals and not just to cram theories. The economy cannot grow without quality human capital. The change Nigeria needs is to re-structure Nigeria’s educational system, and the government should prioritize education and fund it,” he said.

Joel Babalola of the Department of Educational Management, University of Ibadan on his part said that government should target quality of education at all levels; stressing that employers and institutions of learning should partner to initiate programmes to bridge the existing skill gap between institutions of higher learning and workplaces in Nigerian,

Babalola further advise that teachers should promote attitudinal learning by incorporating the use of attitudinal pattern of teaching so as to prevent the production of students and graduates with bad behaviours and to rid the country of indiscipline.

Ibrahim Shekarau, former Minister of Education called on government to ensure that institutions and educationists focus more on vocational education that will give skills to students.

He observed that the federal government is doing quite a lot, but the challenge is the state and the local government where you have more of the population out there So long as we don’t have the right people voted into office, who appreciate the value of education, we will never get it right.” He said.

KELECHI EWUZIE  and DESMOND OKON