Skills over certificates: Nigeria must shift its education, experts say
Experts at the Love of Country Symposium 5.0, held on 15 October 2026 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, say Nigeria must put skills over certificates in its education system. For many Nigerian families, a university degree is a dream worth sacrificing for. Parents save money, pay school fees and make other sacrifices to give their children a better future. The hope is simple: get a certificate, find a good job and build a stable life.
But that promise is becoming harder to keep.
Many graduates from leave school with certificates but struggle to find jobs. Some employers, meanwhile, say they need workers with practical skills and experience. This gap was at the centre of the discussions. Experts at the event called for Nigeria to move away from an education system that places too much value on certificates and not enough on what people can actually do.
The symposium carried the theme, “Building a Prosperous Future: Re-engineering Education and Driving Industrialisation for Innovation, Productivity, and Jobs.” The message was clear. Nigeria requires skilled people, not just qualified people.
A Certificate Is Not Enough
Political economist Professor Pat Utomi said education should focus more on practical skills, entrepreneurship, and problem-solving. He argued that young people should learn how to create value and start businesses, rather than wait endlessly for formal employment.
His point touches a familiar problem. A graduate may have a degree in business administration but struggle to manage a small business. Another may study computer science without gaining enough experience to develop useful software.
The issue is not the certificate itself. It is the gap between what students learn and what they can do with that knowledge.
Utomi called for a training model that would help young people acquire vocational skills within shorter periods. They could then learn business management and entrepreneurship. This would give them a better chance of earning a living through their skills.
As he put it, education must prioritise capability, not certificates.
Why Skills Over Certificates Matters for Young People
Every year, Nigerian schools produce graduates who hope to enter the labour market. Yet finding suitable work can be difficult. Some young people spend months or years searching for jobs. Others accept work that has little connection with what they studied.
Practical training could help change this.
Consider a student studying accounting. Knowing the principles of accounting is important. But the student should also know how to prepare financial statements, use accounting software and interpret business records.
The same applies to other fields:
- Engineering students need hands-on experience with equipment.
- Computer science students need to build and test applications.
- Agriculture students need to understand modern farming methods and how to manage production costs.
Students need to practise.
These experiences can make graduates more confident when they enter the workplace. They can also help employers spend less time teaching new workers basic tasks. More importantly, young people can use their skills to earn money even when formal jobs are scarce.
Technical and Vocational Education Deserves Respect
Not everyone requires a university degree to succeed. Some careers require specialised technical training, practical experience and professional certification.
Plumbers, electricians, welders, mechanics, and other skilled workers provide services that households and businesses depend on every day. Their work also supports construction, manufacturing and industrial growth.
Yet, vocational education is sometimes treated as a second choice for people who cannot enter university. That thinking needs to change.
A young person who learns electrical installation or plumbing can build a career, serve customers and eventually employ other people. Success will still depend on skill, discipline, demand and business management. But the opportunity is real.
Utomi also pointed to Germany’s dual education system as a model Nigeria could learn from. The system combines classroom teaching with practical experience in companies. Students learn the theory and see how it works on the job.
Nigeria does not have to copy another country completely. It can adapt useful parts of the model to local conditions.
Technical colleges and training centres also need attention. They require qualified instructors, modern equipment and courses that reflect what employers need today.
Schools and Businesses Must Work Together
One reason graduates struggle is that classroom learning does not always match workplace demands. Technology changes. Industries adopt new methods. Some courses, however, may not keep pace.
Schools cannot solve this problem alone.
Businesses should help educational institutions identify the skills their workers need. They can offer internships, apprenticeships, and workplace placements. They can also support practical projects and help schools update their courses.
For example, a manufacturing company could allow technical students to learn how equipment is operated and maintained. A bank could offer placements where students gain experience in financial analysis and customer service. Technology firms could help students work on real software projects.
These partnerships would benefit both sides. Students would gain experience before graduation, while businesses would have a stronger pool of potential workers.
The private sector must do more than complain about graduates. It must help prepare them.
Entrepreneurship Should Be Part of the Solution
Formal employment cannot provide every young Nigerian with a job. That makes entrepreneurship an important part of the discussion.
However, telling young people to start businesses is not enough. They require practical training in marketing, bookkeeping, customer relations and financial planning. They must also learn how to identify real market requires.
A student could, for example, learn how to cost a product, set a selling price and calculate profit. Another could develop a business plan and test whether customers would pay for the service.
These are useful lessons.
Young entrepreneurs also require access to finance, mentoring and markets. Without these, even a person with good skills may struggle to turn an idea into a sustainable business.
Education should therefore prepare students for two possibilities: getting a job and creating one.
What Should Government Do?
Government has a major role to play in making education more practical. It must invest in technical colleges, laboratories, workshops, and digital learning facilities. Teachers and lecturers also need regular training to keep their knowledge current.
Schools should review how they teach and assess students. Examinations remain useful, but they cannot measure every ability. Students should also complete practical assignments, solve real-life problems and demonstrate what they have learned.
The convener of the symposium, Atinuke Ojenima, said Nigeria required to move from measuring educational achievement mainly through certificates to assessing what people could do with their knowledge. She explained that the symposium created a platform for discussing national development challenges, including the link between education and industrial growth.
That shift requires clear goals. The questions to ask are these:
- Are graduates finding work?
- Are businesses employing skilled workers?
- Can trainees apply their knowledge?
- Are more young people building sustainable businesses?
These questions matter more than the number of certificates issued.
The Change Towards Skills Over Certificates Must Begin Now
Nigeria should not abandon university education. Degrees remain important in fields such as medicine, law, research, and engineering. The real issue is the assumption that a certificate alone proves competence.
A good education should provide both knowledge and the ability to use it.
That will require cooperation among government, schools, businesses, and students. It will also require a change in public attitudes. Parents should encourage young people to develop useful skills, whether they attend a university, a technical college or an apprenticeship programme.
The challenge is urgent. Nigeria requires people who can repair machines, build software, improve farming, manage businesses and solve everyday problems.
Certificates still have value. But skills must count, too.
The country’s future depends not only on how many people graduate, but on what those graduates can contribute to society and the economy.
