Youths decry widening gap in education, employment, says report

The need to match academic training with industrial skills has been emphasised in the latest YouthSpeak report as Millennials around the world have decried the widening gap between education and employment.

This was part of the findings of the YouthSpeak report on millennials worldwide presented by youth leadership development organisation, AIESEC , in partnership with PwC and with the support of the United Nations Millennium Campaign, MY World and United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.

The report, which captured the opinion of 42,257 millennials including Nigeria about education, employment and entrepreneurship, showed that universities are not connected to the future goals of youths as employers do not engage with them in a meaningful way.

“Worldwide, millennials say they are lacking career guidance and support that would help them understand what they need for the ideal post-graduation career. Education was also given a very poor NPS (Net Promoter Score) globally, with millennials rating their satisfaction with their university experience at -42”, the report showed.

Global Vice President at AIESEC International, Gordon Ching in a statement, said: “We are looking at a world where young people can find more relevant and practical information online than at university. At a time where universities are still largely centred around formal learning, 68 per cent of millennials prefer experiential learning. For most millennials beyond technical backgrounds, their degrees have not given them the value they were looking for.

“If we are to develop an effective education system that meets student needs, it will need greater integration of youth opinion and more employer input. These inputs are critical to ensuring that curriculums are aligned with external trends and utilizing teaching methods like experiential learning that can better engage young people”.

PwC Nigeria Country Senior Partner, Uyi Akpata, in his comment on the report said: “The findings of the survey are a reflection of the realities of the day. At PwC we know from our NextGen study that for younger generations, finding meaning and purpose in their work is a top priority. Given what we’ve learned about the future workforce, at PwC we’re adapting our practices to recognise the diverse needs and generational differences of our people, so that they can bring their best self to work and inspire those around them.