The study reveals that apprenticeship, internship and other forms of on-the-job training are gaining ground as a highly effective and efficient route to a rewarding career.
According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents believe that apprenticeships and other on-the-job training programs make workers more employable than a college degree.
What this means is that there’s a shift in the job market and your university or polytechnic degree is no longer sufficient to qualify you for a job. However, this study might have been conducted in the US, but it’s very relevant to the Nigerian system and job market.
Employers in Nigeria used to put a premium on job candidates’ certificates, regardless of their skills. Once an applicant presents a degree and an NYSC certificate, he’s considered a potential candidate for the job. But, that’s no longer the case. Employers now look beyond degree certificates and hire candidates based on experience and skills.
As shown in the survey, apprenticeship has been identified as an effective path for workers to gain necessary experience and skills and employers are leveraging on it to retain the workers who have been trained to gain the required competence for the job rather than employing new employees based on their degrees.
