I just read a piece where it was noted that American young people are not really super-excited on going to colleges (i.e. universities). There are many reasons why that is happening, and those include the associated debts involved to attend colleges, the availability of many jobs which do not require having college degrees, and most importantly, they live in America where to a large extent governments work.
In that LinkedIn News update, the piece concluded with this line: “The number of undergraduates enrolling to college as of May was down 1.16 million compared to Spring 2020, per the National Student Clearinghouse”.
Good People, that is a very significant path-redirection. In spring 2020, the US population was about 331.4 million people. In May 2023, the population was about 340 million. So, despite the population increasing by more than 8 million people, more than 1 million are not enrolling in colleges. In China, literacy rate is more than 99.7% but college education is not that huge; they focus heavily on providing vocational and other important skills to young people, leaving the few interested in universituies to pay and attend. (Of course, many still attend colleges in the United States compared with averages in many countries.)
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I have not read the full report, but this is what I see here: there is a massive disintermediation of the traditional university system. Yes, those kids are enrolling in programs, but not “colleges” or “universities”. People now create everything you can get in a typical college computer science program minus the networking and contacts, and dump them online for an insignificant fee. And with most tech jobs not including degree requirements, focusing on skills and capabilities, the kids are not motivated to pay those huge tuition fees for the papers.
Personally, I recommend that people attend college and universities because there is more to education than being prepared for work or getting jobs. Education is the liberation of the mind and if you do attend a great school, you will learn more outside the classrooms. Yet, I cannot ignore the fact that most non-college programs now have bootcamps, seasonal meetups, etc to deliver such experiences. Of course, you decide what works for you even as American kids are making their calls.
For Nigeria, we have an opportunity to fundamentally use this redesign to plan how to educate our young people. One of our portfolio companies in Tekedia Capital, Egoras, has an opportunity to scale but it continues to struggle to find industrial welders. Simply, Nigeria has many gaps which must be closed. And that means focusing on skills and what people can do, over papers they present! I think vocational non-college training & education is calling for attention.
I just read a piece where it was noted that American young people are not really super-excited on going to colleges (i.e. universities). There are many reasons why that is happening, and those include the associated debts involved to attend colleges, and the availability of many… pic.twitter.com/DFEI7BiWb1
— Ndubuisi Ekekwe (@ndekekwe) December 27, 2023
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Comment 1: Absolutely, your observations are spot on. The shifting trend in American youth opting out of traditional college enrollment does highlight a significant reorientation in education. While college education undeniably offers broader perspectives and opportunities beyond just career preparation, the mounting debts and the emergence of job opportunities not reliant on degrees are steering many towards alternative paths.
Indeed, online platforms and non-collegiate programs seem to be meeting the educational needs of American youth, signaling a shift in the way education is accessed and valued. Your viewpoint aligns with the idea that education should emphasize practical skills and capabilities rather than solely emphasizing academic credentials.
This presents an opportune moment for Nigeria to reassess its educational framework, bridging existing gaps by prioritizing skill-based education. Focusing on vocational non-college training could be instrumental in addressing these gaps and better preparing the younger generation for a changing job landscape. It’s a critical redirection that holds promise for reshaping the educational paradigm in Nigeria toward a more skill-oriented approach.
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We are busy dreaming of turning the economy into $1T or $3T economy, but not many have sat to ask – with which talents exactly? This flawed thinking that we have the talents to run a bigger economy is a good place to start the redesign, because we don’t. It’s quite tiring getting involved in this sort of debates, because those who can’t differentiate between quality and quantity will drain your energy.
The economy is still largely artisan economy but we don’t even have a decent number of qualified and certified artisans who can do a good job. Everyone is buying washing machine but wait until you look for those who can really fix a faulty washing machine, then you will understand. We are attempting to build an economy from the roof and not foundation, even the way the education system is structured is never in the interest of the economy.
We still find money for giveaways and palliatives, but training young people to be relevant in the economy has become an afterthought. The easiest argument out there is that there are no jobs for the teeming youths, until you start recruiting people who can get a job done, and then your eyes will clear.
The Nigerian education system as currently structured is not meant for the economy. Finish.