More than 500,000 graduates of higher institutions are pushed into the labour market each year. However, many of these graduates are unable to get jobs and are therefore part of the growing unemployment rate. Many talent experts affirm that many Nigerian graduates are not equipped with the essential skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.
Ewuzie Chibueze is one of the few entrepreneurs who are aware of this challenge and he is changing the narrative.
Although born and raised in Port Harcourt, Ewuzie is a native of Nkwerre in Imo State and a graduate of the Imo State University, Owerri, where he obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Architecture.
Despite his background in design and drawings, he has spent the last seven years creating innovative customer-focused solutions for the financial sector and also providing techniques for graduates and undergraduates in the design field.
He describes himself as an advocate for youth career development and an activist for human-centred design.
He says as a fresh graduate, he lost some opportunities due to lack of skills because his education did not prepare him to compete with counterparts who studied abroad or in private universities.
He explains that these and some other reasons formed his decision to establish the Designlab, which is a research and mentorship programme aimed at engaging students on critical issues shaping the design industry as well as exposing them to advanced digital tools and workflows shaping the industry worldwide.
Speaking about the Designlab, Ewuzie says the programme seeks to bridge the gap between schools and the job market— which limits the employability of graduates and undergraduates in design disciplines.
“Designlab was formed as a result of the increase in the rate of unemployable locally trained design graduates, and the need to correct that problem by providing them with the skills required in securing decent jobs or starting their business,” he says.
The programme, which he describes as a social initiative fully funded by the Agency for Design Intelligence and Research (ADIRE) Projects Ltd, a research and consulting firm, kicked off in August 2019, and has graduated 12 students from its maiden edition while its lecture, exhibition and events have impacted over 150 people.
He says ADIRE’S sponsorship came because of his company’s project objective to investigate and confront critical issues at the intersection of urbanisation, culture and the development of resilient communities within Nigeria.
He says that although his firm has employees who supervise the affairs of the programme, there are more volunteers who render help whenever it is necessary.
“It is quite tough for a fresh graduate to project their career growth within the industry, and this is because there is no standard to encourage their career prospects,” he says.
“There is a lot to be done in terms of establishing quality institutions, segmenting the value chain, enforcing government policies, raising the standard to a competitive level with global counterparts,” he further says.
He urges the government to step in by adequately enforcing the laws that govern the design practice, adding that some of those laws are redundant hence need to be reviewed to reflect current realities. Ewuzie also urges the organised private sector to invest more in design education. He notes that when people know better, there will be a satisfactory exchange of services and rewards.
He describes his brand as unique as it focuses on building the human capital within the design industry.
Speaking on expansion plans, he says, “We plan to grow the capacity of our cohorts as funds become available. A huge part of our strategy is fostering collaboration between the tertiary institutions and the firms that require the talent that they produce. We believe that this coming together will birth industry-relevant curriculum development and that will result in desired graduate recruitment outcomes.”
He says as a long-term goal, he wants to partake in the birthing of Nigeria’s first art and design academy that will host the best in the world.
