By Olufunmilola Mosunmolu Shoyemi

Every year, thousands of young Nigerians graduate from technical colleges, polytechnics, and vocational centres with certificates that promise employability.

Yet employers continue to complain that they can not find job-ready workers, while graduates struggle to secure meaningful employment.

The problem is neither a lack of talent nor commitment. It is the weak collaboration between training institutions and industry.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) can only fulfil its role in driving employment and industrialisation when those who train workers and those who employ them work together as genuine partners.

This challenge extends beyond Nigeria. A 2023 report by UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO, and the World Bank found that TVET systems in many developing countries remain poorly aligned with labour-market needs.

The ILO’s 2026 global employment outlook also highlights persistent shortages of decent jobs and continuing youth unemployment. Nigeria’s skills mismatch, therefore, re part of a wider global challenge, but one that demands urgent local solutions.

For too long, TVET curricula have been developed largely within classrooms and government offices, with limited industry involvement. Many institutions still train students using outdated equipment and methods that no longer reflect workplace realities.

Consequently, employers often spend considerable time retraining new recruits, while institutions maintain that they have faithfully delivered the approved curriculum.

The real problem is that the curriculum and the workplace are no longer aligned.
This disconnect is evident in three areas.

First, training frequently lags behind technological change, leaving graduates unfamiliar with modern industrial systems. Second, industrial attachments and apprenticeships are often treated as formalities rather than structured opportunities for competency development.

Third, employers rarely participate meaningfully in curriculum development, assessment or institutional governance. Without sustained collaboration, TVET risks producing graduates whose skills do not match industry expectations.

The consequences are significant. Youth unemployment persists despite vacancies for skilled technical workers. Technical education continues to suffer from poor public perception, often regarded as a second-choice pathway rather than a respected route to rewarding careers. More importantly, Nigeria’s ability to attract manufacturing investment, adopt emerging technologies and compete globally depends on the availability of a highly skilled workforce.

Encouragingly, important reforms are underway. The Federal Ministry of Education and the National Board for Technical Education have partnered with Singapore to strengthen the capacity of TVET instructors. Government has also expanded collaboration with the United Kingdom to improve digital skills, apprenticeships and industry recognition. The National TVET Conference 2026 brought together government, industry and development partners to accelerate reforms, while Nigeria’s membership of WorldSkills signals a commitment to global standards. These initiatives are valuable, but they will deliver lasting results only if industry becomes an active stakeholder in training.

Effective collaboration requires practical action. Employers should serve as permanent members of curriculum and examination boards to ensure programmes reflect current industry needs.

Apprenticeships and industrial attachments must become structured, supervised learning experiences linked directly to competency assessment.

Industry should also support institutions by providing modern equipment and experienced professionals, while institutions can contribute research, innovation and a steady pipeline of well-prepared graduates.

Governments can further strengthen these partnerships through incentives such as tax reliefs or recognition schemes for companies that invest in workforce development.

Equally important, institutions should regularly monitor graduate employment outcomes and use employer feedback to improve programmes, Nigeria already has examples worth building upon.

Through the World Bank-supported Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), government technical colleges have been upgraded with modern equipment designed to align training more closely with industrial demand.

This demonstrates how collaboration among government, development partners and industry can improve the quality and relevance of technical education.

Ultimately, closing the gap between classrooms and workplaces is a shared responsibility.

The government must provide leadership and supportive policies, institutions must deliver high-quality, responsive training, and industry must participate as a co-owner of the system rather than a distant critic.

Countries such as Germany and Singapore have shown that successful TVET systems are built on strong, institutionalised partnerships between education and industry.

Nigeria can achieve similar progress if collaboration becomes a permanent feature of its skills development strategy.

If TVET is to become a credible pathway to employment for young people and a reliable source of skilled labour for industry, bridging the gap between training institutions and employers is no longer optional—it is the reform that will determine the future of Nigeria’s workforce.

If you need it shortened further to 600 words or compressed to 400 words for newspaper publication, I can produce those versions while preserving the same core message.