An updated and strategically laid out curricular, proper and appropriate choice of faculty members, positive, result-orientated drilling (mentoring), adoption of digital technology into teaching and research and introduction of entrepreneurial skills/vocational courses that were derived from a long analysis and reflections were the five measures Prof Toyin Falola of University of Texas, Austin recommended for preparing graduates for the workplace.
 Falola made this submission while delivering the 7th convocation lecture at the Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba Akoko, Ondo State on Thursday.
The lecture was entitled, ‘Nigerian Universities and Youth Empowerment’.
 He called on the Nigerian universities to treat students properly and be responsible to their duties.
 Falola also encouraged students, parents and proprietors of Nigerian university (both Private and Public) to learn and strive to be up and doing, and be responsible to themselves.
 “It has been argued for the umpteenth time that many of these students lack purpose in life; have erred due to peer groups; are myopic; are unfocused; and have misplaced priorities. The university alone cannot attend to all these vicissitudes. Thus, the student themselves must be willing to change for good. In a similar vein, parents of these students must also be watchful of and conversant with their progress. Proprietors of Nigerian public and private universities—federal government, state governments, and individuals— should also be committed to the funding of university education. They must realize that this education is a lifetime project and its benefits are not exhaustive,” he counselled.
He also opined that alternative degree formats by making skills into vocationally oriented degree courses should be explored.
According to Falola who is also the Jacob Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities in many advanced countries in the world, skills like photography, fashion designing, shoemaking, graphic design and printing among others were already being taught as vocationally oriented degree courses.
“Moreover, it is high time some of these skills are designed into degree courses. This is one viable way of “exploring alternative degree formats. It is therefore a good idea if this is replicated in Nigerian universities. Graduates can not only become gainful self-employed through these skills, they can also become employers of labour”.
 He stressed that rather than the government announcing projects of vocational training for people who have differing levels of education, he advised that data bank of the unemployed youths in Nigeria should be built. “This data bank will use computer models and algorithms to analyse the problems of unemployment along the indices of age, locations, levels of education, skills people are capable of, gender, and other factors? This way, the data bank makes it possible to build microscopic and micro-perspective programs for youths according to their gender, age, location, needs, and level of education. Rather than have empowerment programs that are broadly conceived for an audience whose needs are by no means uniform, a data bank will policy makers to have more detailed and result-oriented approach to planning. Suppose government, rather than simply wiping out and replacing the youth empowerment program of a previous government, consults this data bank to specifically formulate public policies that can aim right at the heart of specific problems of empowerment according to certain indicative clusters?â€
In his remarks, vice chancellor, AAUA, Prof Igbekele Amos Ajibefun appreciated Falola and said that the task of involving the universities in delivering the right knowledge that would emplace and empowerment is the collective responsibility of the nation’s universities.
Distinguished scholars at the event were AAUA registrar, Mr. Michael Ayeerun, Prof. Ademola Dasilva, Dr. Emmanuel Jaiyeoba, Dr. Dele Ashiru, Prof Ademola Babalola, Prof Akin Alao, Dr. (Mrs) Ireti Alao, Dr. Jumoke Yacob-Haliso, Dr. Afolayan, and Prof. Segun Ogungbemi, Dr. Bola Dauda, Mrs. Bosede Ajibefun.
