How to tackle joblessness among youth

We are facing two contradictory and seemingly imponderable global challenges. The first is a world where three billion people today are under 25 and where 40 per cent of the estimated 160 million unemployed worldwide are young people.

The second is that in many parts of the globe, tertiary education is not producing the kinds of graduates with the skills, attitudes and competencies that employers are looking for.

This indicates that access to tertiary education needs to improve and colleges and universities need to equip graduates for the 21st century world of work.

Research commissioned by the British Council in sub-Saharan Africa is currently seeking to better understand graduate employability as part of a broader study in support of the development of tertiary education systems in the region.

Drawing on data from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, preliminary findings suggest that although the economic outlook for the continent is positive, unemployment remains acute. It takes a university graduate in Kenya an average of five years to secure a job.
So what is the role of tertiary education and can it contribute towards addressing this conundrum?

Education policy under the Millennium Development Goals has been focused on primary education, but worldwide, there is a noticeable shift in attention towards secondary and tertiary education.

In sub-Saharan Africa, enrolment rates in higher education are booming, but are still substantially lower than rates globally (29 per cent worldwide, 7 per cent for sub-Saharan Africa and only 4 per cent for Kenya). This means there is enormous scope to expand, and that the demand for tertiary education will continue to grow.

So what does that mean for universities and colleges? First is that they cannot be ivory towers disconnected from society and the world of work.

NOT IVORY TOWERS

On the contrary, research undertaken across eight universities in the UK found a positive effect on both education and employment outcomes when there was employer engagement in course design, and when this was linked to work placements and other forms of in-training and post-training experience.

The responses to the employability challenge in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa to date have centred on curricula reform.

There is no doubt that updating content, modes of delivery and the professional expertise of teachers, tutors and lecturers is essential, and this can only be successful if the challenges facing higher education are tackled — such as poor infrastructure, inadequate facilities and poor staff student ratios.

Beyond the classroom, a lot needs to be done to expand work placements and to develop entrepreneurial skills during and immediately after study, to improve the chances of investment in education leading to sustainable livelihoods.

Moreover, it is not simply about preparedness for the world of work. In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, young people need to be equipped beyond technical and vocational skills, to also engage analytically, critically and constructively in civic society and as global citizens.

However, this is not a quick fix and tertiary education institutions cannot solve these problems on their own. It also requires sub-Saharan African countries to think about education systems reform alongside active labour market measures and, internationally, for employers and policymakers to join forces with educators to equip students and researchers to populate the jobs that currently exist and create the innovation for those that don’t.

Dr Beall is the director, Education and Society, British Council. The Graduate Employability Policy Brief will be launched today in a panel discussion including Kenya’s education officials and vice-chancellors of public universities.