Nigeria is moving to replace “career by chance” with a national policy that links classrooms to real jobs, as ministries, UNESCO and GIZ opened a high-level dialogue at the UN House in Abuja.
The move brings together the Federal Ministries of Education, Labour and Employment, and Youth Development with development partners to build a National Career Guidance and Counselling (CGC) Policy Framework.
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Abel Enitan called the workshop a milestone in education reform.
He said counselling has been treated as “a secondary service rather than a strategic necessity.”
With automation, digital shifts, and industrial changes reshaping work, Enitan said students need structured guidance connecting learning to labour market demand. The framework will align student aspirations with priority sectors like agriculture value chains, construction, and digital skills.
“In today’s world, students need more than a syllabus; they need a compass,” he said.
Institutionalising the policy would embed labour market intelligence in schools, position Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a first-choice pathway, and tie education spending to employment outcomes.
UNESCO Abuja’s Acting Head of Education, Oladeji Adeyemi, said even strong education systems fail without coordinated CGC. “Career Guidance and Counselling is not an add-on — it is the bridge that connects learning to livelihoods,” he said.
Adeyemi called for an integrated system linking education, labour, and youth sectors, with clear roles and accountability. “No single institution can effectively deliver career guidance in isolation,” he said.
The two-day session will review global best practices and define the framework’s structure. Both speakers stressed shifting from “career by chance” to “career by choice” with clear pathways to skills and jobs.
UNESCO, under its BEAR III initiative, and GIZ reaffirmed support for Nigeria’s education and skills reform. A consolidated draft framework is expected from the workshop to guide CGC in education and labour systems.
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