Editor of Trialoog
Universities can give young people sound IT knowledge, but that may not be enough to find work. A collaboration between ESTDEV and TalTech examined experiences in Estonia, Kenya, Nigeria and Armenia to identify what helps IT graduates enter their profession. Success depends on more than the curriculum: practical experience, initiative, entrepreneurial skills and connections with employers are at least as important.
The comparative study of ICT competencies and labour market needs in Kenya, Nigeria and Armenia grew out of the EU-funded Digital Explorers II project, which brought young Kenyan IT professionals to Estonia for internships, among other activities.
According to ESTDEV Project Manager Birgit Rosenberg, the study began with the gap between IT education and labour market needs: university knowledge does not always match employers’ expectations. ESTDEV wanted to establish the size of that gap in the countries compared and how it could be reduced.
The aim was not to examine just one country, but to compare study programmes across countries. This made it possible to investigate whether the problem — or the solution — lay in the curriculum, its implementation, the labour market, working culture or elsewhere.
“During the internships, we could observe how people educated under Kenyan programmes performed in a very different working and cultural environment. This helped us examine how universal IT education is and what different stakeholders consider important in acquiring the necessary skills and transferring them into the workplace,” Rosenberg explained.
The study focused on Kenya and Estonia. Armenia and Nigeria were added to explore whether similar problems occurred elsewhere or depended on local conditions.
A well-designed curriculum does not necessarily mean good teaching
One early conclusion was straightforward: study programmes are readily comparable across countries. Yet in some countries and universities, the description and what students actually learn can be two different things. “On paper, we see many beautiful curricula inspired by the websites of the world’s best universities. Reality is often very different,” said Voldemar Tomusk, Researcher at TalTech’s IT College.
Actual teaching quality depends on factors including good lecturers, equipment and opportunities to apply theory to real tasks. This is where major differences between countries become clearest.
Many Estonian IT students work while studying, gaining the experience employers expect alongside their diplomas. Businesses in Kenya and Nigeria cannot offer these opportunities to as many young people. “Work readiness does not emerge from spending three years listening to lectures alongside three hundred other students,” Tomusk said.
“On paper, we see many beautiful curricula inspired by the websites of the world’s best universities. Reality is often very different.”
Voldemar Tomusk visiting Kenya. Photo: private collection
Employers value more than a diploma
One of the study’s most important findings was that curricula and grades are not the only things distinguishing young people in the labour market. “The main competitive advantage comes from additional activities such as projects, hackathons, certificates, internships and participation in networks,” Rosenberg said.
These teach students to apply knowledge, collaborate and seek solutions independently. Interviews with Kenyan employers confirmed the same point: technical knowledge alone is insufficient.
Tomusk said employers seek people with initiative who have already done more than required while studying.
The Kenyan interns in Estonia illustrated this. Many had independently sought additional opportunities alongside university to develop their skills, he said.
Yet even well-prepared graduates need somewhere to apply their abilities. The study identified another important difference: the issue is not always whether young people are ready for work, but whether the labour market offers enough opportunities.
ESTDEV reported unemployment among ICT graduates of 25–35% in Kenya and 35–45% in Nigeria, compared with 1.5–3% in Estonia and 3–5% in Armenia.
Offering more training or increasing graduate numbers is therefore insufficient. “Especially in Kenya, with its large youth population, we cannot assume the labour market will simply absorb everyone. Many young people will have to become employers themselves, and this should be considered in curriculum development, youth guidance and other programmes creating the necessary opportunities and skills,” Rosenberg said.
Entrepreneurial skills consequently emerged as much more important alongside technical knowledge. Young people need the ability and readiness not only to apply for existing jobs but also to create services, products or businesses, reducing unemployment, stimulating the economy and creating jobs for Africa’s growing generation.
Tomusk said the same question also concerns Estonia. “Empowering graduates as entrepreneurs and job creators would be my first priority.”
“The main competitive advantage comes from additional activities such as projects, hackathons, certificates, internships and participation in networks.”
The Digital Explorers II project’s closing event at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. In the foreground is Victoria Nkhata, ESTDEV’s education project manager for Africa. Photo: private collection
One internship cannot solve the whole problem
For ESTDEV, a key conclusion was that a good, modern and broad curriculum, an internship or mentoring is not enough on its own: they must form a coherent whole.
This is where involving TalTech researchers mattered. ESTDEV needed more than an assessment of whether one internship programme had worked. It needed a broader picture of the relationship between education, the labour market and young people’s opportunities to apply their skills.
Rosenberg said TalTech’s main strength was its team’s diversity. “The TalTech team brought a varied combination of expertise in higher education policy, IT curriculum development and international research, well suited to the study’s questions,” she said.
She sees the value of university cooperation in this exchange of knowledge. ESTDEV and beneficiaries in partner countries receive analysis and an evidence base for designing future programmes. Universities gain access to projects, international partners and problems that can generate new knowledge, collaborations and research.
If education is to help young people actually enter employment or establish businesses, a good curriculum — or even an internship in Estonia — is therefore insufficient. A broad approach and continuous learning that adapts to market expectations are essential, particularly in the rapidly developing IT sector. “Governments, universities, businesses and students alike must be ready for this, whether in Estonia, Kenya or Armenia. The whole journey must be thought through, from what students learn at university to what they can do with that knowledge after graduating,” Rosenberg said.
“Governments, universities, businesses and students alike must be ready for this, whether in Estonia, Kenya or Armenia. The whole journey must be thought through, from what students learn at university to what they can do with that knowledge after graduating.”
