Vocational apprenticeship system: Nigeria’s unemployment solution
Like never before there is a growing need for the advancement of the apprenticeship model of training as the rate of unemployment in Nigeria rose to 33.3% from 27.5% in the first quarter of 2021 according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showing it has quadrupled over the past five years. According to Bloomberg, 67.1 million people in Nigeria either do nothing or work for less than 20 hours a week and 15.9 million people work for less than 40hours a week making them underemployed.
When combined with the percentage of Nigerian citizens that are underemployed, the rate shoots up to 59.7%. More than half of the country’s population is fully unemployed and the number will keep growing as population increases.
These alarming figures are an evidence of the critical need to investigate the ability of entrepreneurship to fill this gap. Promoting entrepreneurship goes beyond assisting incumbent entrepreneurs and business owners; it also encompasses inculcating an enterprising spirit among the youths. According to Bloomberg, 80% of the youth make up the unemployment statistics and revolve around the ages of 23 to 39. The apprenticeship system is thus essential in creating a new generation of entrepreneurs that would aid in the reduction of unemployed youths, reduce vices in the society and enable the development of the economy.
Chisom Ndigwe, a Business Analyst at Lagos Business School (LBS) emphasized that the sustainable approach of an apprenticeship model of business to enable the transfer of vocational skills within communities that replicate those business models for sustainable development is not new, however its relevance can never diminish. “the educational industry which serves as a focal point from which many other industries emerge in Nigeria, has experienced a lack of funding, with less than 6% of budgetary allocation going into the sector as opposed to the not-less than 26% recommended by the United nations to meet the sustainable goals of the UN,” Chisom stated.
Havard Business review on April 21st, finally recognized and approved the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) led by Ndubuisi Ekekwe, a Nigerian professor of Igbo ethnic stock after passing through numerous phases of editorial work. In the work now approved by HBR, Ekekwe brought global attention to the system. Ekekwe argued in his study that the IAS will address the problem of growing inequality between the rich and the poor, if the system is adopted.
“The Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) has just passed the first phase of editorial work at Harvard. We have more phases to go, but everything is looking fine. Due to the nature of the topic, it is taking time, however, if promptly adopted, it would significantly bridge the inequality gap between the rich and the poor,” Ekekwe stated.
When asked what significance the Harvard Business Review’s approval holds for the IAS, the professor said the details will be included in the online version of the work which he said should be out in May.
The massive outflow of graduates into the labour market from the educational sector on a yearly basis surpasses the amount of jobs available to absorb the outflow. This leaves the problem of high level of unemployment and underemployment. The Nigerian economy is struggling with the current reality of pumping a growing population into limited spaces; for instance, the recent ongoing Dangote refinery construction has brought about an inflow of foreign expertise to undertake a large amount of the skills needed to facilitate the project leaving a small percentage for the Nigerian public in terms of man power. A potential vacancy where only 20 Nigerians are needed will cause over 10,000 Nigerians to apply. This limited space that leaves room for an ample amount of graduates who cannot fit in, leading to the upsurge of vices in the country such as kidnapping which has been on the rise this year.
To worsen the case, the amount of funds infused into the educational system is insufficient, making the quality of graduates below standard leaving them to grapple with the already hostile labour market environment, adding to the already compounded challenge of getting jobs.
Statistics have shown that the highest employer of labour in Nigeria are SMES, who engage in one form of trade or the other. Over 60% of the owners of these businesses did not go through the conventional educational system but had to undergo training for a period in order to access the needed skills to run that business efficiently. Over 90% of these businesses engage the apprenticeship system to access the needed labour but in turn inculcate the skills and the knowledge needed to survive in that terrain. At the very core of this sustainable practice is the investment in human development, an apprenticeship model of business, a system of incubating the potentials of the youth that have morphed replicas of the same business across Nigeria.
The Chairperson of NESG, Asue Ighodalo, at the recently concluded NES26 summit highlighted the important role the youth have to play in Nation-building, adding that the government was committed to partnering with the Nigerian youth towards harnessing their potentials.
He further stated that there was growing need to tackle youth unemployment and underemployment, hence the enactment of the ‘Fit-for-purpose’ program was germane. “We are looking at scaling up formal apprenticeship programs, encourage formal apprenticeship skills (through accreditations and certifications), facilitate the development of industries to absorb more youths and get the youths engaged in policies across governance,” Ighodalo added.
He went further to recommend that the current unemployment situation in the country calls for the advancement of apprenticeship schemes. Also, the establishment of a system or platform that adopts the apprenticeship model into the educational system at one level or another with the purpose of inculcating values and tradable skills that provides a wider opportunity for graduates, curbing the growing unemployment figure and adding to the gross domestic product of the country.