Stakeholders at the Love of Country Symposium call for stronger industry-academia partnerships, vocational training and career support to tackle youth unemployment and drive industrial growth.

Participants at the symposium agreed that Nigeria must move away from an education system that places greater emphasis on certificates than practical competence, with stakeholders calling for closer collaboration between educational institutions and industry to improve employability, productivity and job creation.

The call was made at the Love of Country Symposium 5.0, tagged “Building a Prosperous Future: Re-engineering Education and Driving Industrialisation for Innovation, Productivity and Jobs.”

Political economist Prof Pat Utomi said education reform must prioritise practical skills, entrepreneurship and the ability of young people to solve problems, establish businesses and contribute meaningfully to economic development.

Utomi argued that Nigeria could not address unemployment effectively without rethinking how people acquire skills and prepare for the labour market.

He advocated a skills-based training model that would enable young people to develop vocational competencies within shorter periods before receiving training in business management and entrepreneurship.

According to him, such an approach would allow young people to establish small businesses in trades such as plumbing and other technical occupations rather than remain unemployed while waiting for formal jobs.

He also called for the adoption of a dual education system similar to Germany’s, which combines classroom instruction with practical experience in companies.

Under the model, students would acquire theoretical knowledge while gaining workplace experience, helping to bridge the gap between academic training and industry requirements.

Utomi said professional qualifications, including those awarded by City & Guilds, could provide alternative routes to skilled employment and financial independence without requiring everyone to obtain a university degree.

He noted that people with specialised technical skills could earn more than some university graduates, depending on their expertise and market demand.

The professor stressed that private enterprises must play a more active role in vocational and professional training, working with government and civil society organisations to develop a workforce capable of supporting industrialisation.

He said aligning education with industry needs would improve productivity, encourage innovation and expand employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

“Education must prioritise capability, not certificates.”

The convener of the symposium, Atinuke Ojenima, said Nigeria needed to shift from a system that measures educational attainment primarily through certificates to one that evaluates what people can do with the knowledge they acquire.

Ojenima said the initiative was established to provide a platform for national conversations focused on solutions to the country’s development challenges.

She explained that this year’s symposium examined the relationship between education and industrialisation, particularly the skills industries require and the extent to which the education system prepares young people for employment.