TETFund inaugurates programme to improve employability of Nigerian graduates

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has initiated a programme across universities in Nigeria to improve the employability of graduates.

In a statement on Monday, Sonny Echono, TETFund’s executive secretary, said the programme was introduced in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other local partners.

Echono also said the IFC is utilising its employability tool to provide a diagnosis of how well tertiary institutions in Nigeria are implementing employability best practices, adding that the tool will also measure how tertiary institutions are establishing a baseline for employability.

“IFC Vitae is a global first-of-a-kind, survey-based, diagnostic instrument which assesses, processes, structures, and supports employability outcomes for higher education institutions,” he said.

“The program provides system and institutional-level insights that help identify key intervention areas that will enhance the employability ecosystem and improve graduate employability outcomes.

“One of the key roles of TETFund is to develop an enabling system for young graduates to be part of the active labour market soon after graduation.

“This diagnostic led by the IFC is the first phase of designing an intervention to improve graduate employability outcomes. The program will help improve where higher education institutions in the country are presently in relation to global best practices.”

Echono said the initiative became imperative in the wake of rising youth unemployment in the country.

“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has put Nigeria’s unemployment at 33.3%, while youth unemployment in the country is at 42.5% and youth under-employment is 21.0%,” he said.

“Besides, the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index recently released by the Bureau reveals that 133 million people in Nigeria are poor, living below the poverty line, which implies that 63% of persons living within Nigeria are multidimensionally poor.”

The programme is supported by the federal ministry of education and the National Universities Commission (NUC).