IT Skills Can Unlock Jobs For Nigerian Youths – Mukherjee

The executive vice president of Aptech and head of its International Business, Kalol Mukherjee, has urged Nigerian youths to acquire information technology (IT) skills as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and global career opportunities.

Mukherjee made the call at the Aptech Career Quest seminar held in Abuja, where young people, parents and other stakeholders were exposed to opportunities in IT, higher education and career development.

He said Aptech had trained more than 150,000 Nigerians over the past 27 years, with many of its graduates securing employment, establishing businesses and pursuing careers through freelancing.

According to Mukherjee, Aptech currently operates more than 70 centres across Nigeria and has maintained a partnership with Middlesex University in the United Kingdom for about 20 years, providing students with opportunities to further their education through credit-transfer arrangements.

He said students who complete Aptech’s two-year programme could transfer their credits and undertake an additional year of study in the United Kingdom or Mauritius under the Middlesex University framework to obtain a bachelor’s degree.

He added that students could also access a one-year master’s degree programme at Middlesex University with discounted entry opportunities.

“Aptech believes in quality. Aptech believes in being relevant, and that is the reason we have almost 70-plus centres in Nigeria with a legacy of 150,000 students being trained,” Mukherjee said.

He explained that Aptech’s operations extend beyond Nigeria, with centres in several African countries, including Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Eswatini, Kenya and Morocco.

Mukherjee also disclosed that Aptech was documenting the achievements of its former students through a campaign tagged “100 CEOs of Aptech Nigerians.”

According to him, the initiative is aimed at identifying Nigerian chief executive officers who are alumni of Aptech.

“We will publish that data officially—that in these 27 years, we have created 100 CEOs who work for Nigeria, who are Aptech alumni,” he said.

He noted that many of Aptech’s Nigerian graduates had either secured employment or become self-employed through freelancing and other technology-related services.

“In a way, all my Nigerian students, they do very well for their lives,” he said.

Also speaking, the Regional Manager for Africa at Middlesex University, Oluchi Nwambara, said the partnership with Aptech was designed to make quality higher education more accessible to Nigerian students.

Nwambara said Middlesex University, based in London, also operates a branch campus in Mauritius and focuses on providing industry-relevant education and career-oriented programmes.

She said Aptech students could progress to Middlesex University to complete the final year of selected bachelor’s degree programmes, including information technology, business information systems, business computing, data analytics and animation.

“The partnership with Aptech has been about 20 years old, and the Aptech students can progress to Middlesex to do a final year in some select bachelor’s degree programmes,” she said.

Nwambara said the arrangement allows students to spend two years studying in Nigeria before completing their degree with Middlesex in one additional year, describing it as a cost-saving option for students seeking internationally recognised qualifications.

She said the Career Quest event was organised to create awareness among prospective students, parents and guardians about opportunities available through the partnership.

According to her, participants were also briefed on studying in the UK, visa requirements and available academic programmes.

Nwambara said students who undergo Aptech’s programmes acquire practical IT skills that can enable them to become self-reliant even before completing their studies.

She said some students were already designing websites, providing IT support, coding and developing digital platforms for businesses while still studying.

“Most of them get hired by companies where they work. The students work remotely, so they can stay in their homes, and they are doing all sorts of coding work,” she said.

She added that graduates who wished to work for large organisations also benefited from Middlesex University’s reputation and qualifications.

“They have options. It gives them options,” she said.

Nwambara said the partnership provides young Nigerians with multiple pathways to build sustainable careers, whether through employment, entrepreneurship, freelancing or further academic development.