Educational Researcher Advocates Versatile Learning to Curb Youth Unemployment

Educational researcher Dr Peter Ogudoro has called for versatile education as a strategy to equip undergraduates with skills for diverse career paths, describing it as a viable approach to tackling youth unemployment in Nigeria.

He criticised what he described as a "straitjacket" approach within Nigeria's education system, arguing that students should not be confined to specific career paths based solely on their performance in particular subjects. "God did not create us to be restricted to a single path," he said, stressing the need to nurture students' diverse talents rather than limit their development to one area.

According to Ogudoro, it is entirely possible for an engineer to be musically gifted, just as a medical doctor might excel in writing, filmmaking, or other creative pursuits. He observed that parents and teachers often steer students who perform well in science subjects toward careers in engineering, medicine, pharmacy or nursing, insisting that academic strength in the sciences should not automatically dictate a child's career trajectory or stifle the growth of other abilities.

He called for the retraining of school counsellors to function as professional career managers capable of identifying and nurturing students' varied talents, while urging parents to recognise that children can successfully blend different skill sets and build careers that extend beyond conventional academic pathways.

Ogudoro explained that versatile education equips graduates with a broader range of skills, allowing them to adapt and remain employable even when opportunities in their primary field become scarce. "For instance, if you graduate with a banking/finance degree and there are no banking jobs available, you switch to entrepreneurship skills that can enable you to establish a business," he said.

He further noted that combining disciplines — such as engineering and writing — could open up alternative opportunities in content creation, communication and other creative industries. Citing Nigerian author Chimamanda Adichie as an example, Ogudoro pointed out that she transitioned from science-oriented studies to a successful writing career, illustrating the importance of giving young people room to discover and develop their natural abilities beyond conventional career expectations.

He therefore urged the Federal Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in the education sector to strengthen career management systems within Nigerian schools. According to him, improved career guidance would help students better tap into emerging opportunities, both locally and internationally, while building skills that enhance their overall employability.