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Chapter 5
Leveraging the Triple
Helix System for Effective
Employability Delivery in
Nigerian Universities
Oluyomi Susan Pitan
Lead City University, Nigeria & University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT
In view of the significance of employability, this chapter aims to examine how Nigerian universities
can enhance the effectiveness of their employability delivery. Using a desk review method, the chapter
considers different ways universities embed employability. Among Nigerian universities, it was realized
that although there are few provisions for developing employability in the curriculum, several factors
hinder its implementation. The identified barriers, inter alia, are a poor learning environment, inad-
equate funding, unsatisfactory student internship, insufficient exposure to career guidance activities,
and inadequate collaboration between the university and industry. The argument raised is that for the
workability of any strategy adopted by the university, identified impediments must be overcome. Hinged
on theoretical postulations of social capital theory, the chapter recommends the ‘Triple Helix’ system of
relationships between the university, industry, and government to enhance the effectiveness of employ-
ability delivery in Nigerian universities.

INTRODUCTION

This chapter reviews the literature on the effective delivery of employability in Nigerian university edu-
cation. Employability can be referred to as a set of accomplishments, including skills, knowledge, and
personal characteristics, which enhance a graduate’s likelihood of securing employment, succeeding in
their desired career, and adapting to the ever-changing job market, ultimately leading to their success
and satisfaction (Yorke & Knight, 2006). As a key educational concept, employability has become a
vital discourse in universities worldwide. In fact, it is now one of the major objectives of contemporary

DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-7442-6.ch005

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The Triple Helix System and Effective Employability Delivery

university education. Its importance has increased mostly because of how the nature of employment is
changing. The job market has become more crowded and competitive, and top firms are emphasizing
transferrable skills more than just degree requirements (Tomlinson, 2008). Employers are looking for
candidates that can adapt, take the initiative, and execute various duties in different contexts (Pitan &
Muller, 2023). So, the importance of employability skills and whether universities are suitable for their
development is no longer a topic of debate (Chouc & Calvo, 2010). The focus has shifted to producing
employable graduates who possess the required transferable skills to effectively compete and succeed
in the ever-changing and competitive labor market (Bridgstock et al., 2019). This has become a pressing
concern for universities. This stems from the fact that the production of employable graduates, which is
a major reason for both private and public investment in university education, is the expectation of every
stakeholder in university education. In view of this, many universities, including those in Nigeria, are
already making efforts to engage in strategic approaches to foster employability among their students
(Adedeji et al., 2016; Bradley et al., 2022; Okolie et al., 2021).
A cursory assessment of the methods of delivering employability shows that employability can be
integrated into the university curriculum through total embedding, explicit embedding or the paral-
lel approach. Total embedding refers to implicitly teaching employability skills across the different
courses within a degree program. In this case, no explicit methods of assessment are applied. Explicit
embedding and integration refer to teaching employability skills as separate courses within a degree
program. In the parallel approach, employability is delivered outside the course through careers and
services rendered within the institution (Bradley et al., 2022; Romanova, 2022). It may not be possible
to practice a particular approach in isolation from the others, so most institutions use some blend of all
three. Also, because employability is contextual, the decision of how to deliver support must be driven
by the context (Mohee, 2019).
Empirical studies (Nwajiuba et al., 2020; Okolie et al., 2021) carried out on Nigerian universities
show that despite provisions in the curriculum, and other policy initiatives signaling the embedding of
employability, many Nigerian universities and academics do not adequately incorporate into their cur-
ricula and teachings these initiatives. Therefore, many students exit the university without developing the
expected employability skills. Numerous factors, such as poor learning environment; inadequate fund-
ing; unsatisfactory and insufficient student work experience; insufficient exposure of students to career
guidance activities; and inadequate collaboration between universities and industry, have been identified
as being responsible for the non-implementation of employability initiatives and the development of
students’ employability. As Bennett (2016) noted, identified impediments must be overcome to realize the
effectiveness and workability of universities’ approaches to support employability. A major postulation in
this chapter is that to mitigate the impediments, there must be the provision of enabling environment by
the major stakeholders in university education. These are the university, the government and the industry
(Asamoah & Mackin, 2015; Pitan, 2016b). Hence, based on the theoretical postulations of the Social
Capital Theory (SCT), the chapter recommends the ‘Triple Helix’ system of relationships between the
university, industry and government to enhance the effectiveness of employability delivery in Nigerian
universities. In the Nigerian Triple Helix context, the government has a greater role to perform than the
industry and the university because it is a major source of funding for universities (Abbas et al., 2019).
According to SCT, resources are inherently present in social interactions (Salamzadeh et al., 2022;
Robertson et al., 2019; Wijiharjono, 2021), and it is considered appropriate for this work as the coopera-
tion among universities, industries, and government affects the employability of university graduates
(Aranz et al., 2022; Kimatu, 2016). The concept of Triple Helix, which emanates from SCT, refers to

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the collaboration between the university, the industry and the government, with the overall objective
of producing knowledge and innovative workers for the 21st century (Abbas et al., 2019; Cvetkovic et
al., 2017). In respect of this, one of the major points addressed by this chapter is the extent to which
the ‘Triple Helix’ system of relationships between university, industry and government can enhance the
effectiveness of employability initiatives and efforts of universities in Nigeria (Saad & Zawdie; 2011).
The author acknowledges several extant literatures (Bennett, 2020; 2022; Bradley et al., 2022; Bridg-
stock et al., 2019; Cranmer, 2006; Yorke & Knight, 2006) on ways of embedding employability into
the university curriculum. However, there is still a scarcity of research on the effectiveness of embed-
ding employability, especially in developing countries and where such researches exist; the results are
often inconsistent (Bradley et al., 2022; Maher, 2014; Nimmi et al., 2022). Also, most of the previous
research has either approached the issue of enhancing student employability from only the university
perspective (Orazbayeva et al., 2021) or concentrated on the relationship between the university and the
industry, while the role of government has remained uncaptured and underexplored (Arranz et al., 2022;
Orazbayeva et al., 2019). However, the role of government in the provision of funds and in facilitating
cooperation between the industry and the university, through its policy frameworks, within the Triple
Helix Model cannot be overlooked (Bektaş & Tayauova, 2014). Therefore, this study fills a gap in the
literature by clearly documenting the roles of and collaboration of universities, industry and government
in education for employability.

Objectives of the Chapter

Bearing in mind the significance of employability for higher education and the myriad of problems
militating against its effective delivery in Nigerian universities, this chapter focuses on using the Triple
Helix model of relationships among the stakeholders in university education to enhance the effective-
ness of the employability delivery efforts of Nigerian universities. To achieve the aim, the following
questions are raised, and answers are provided with the aid of desktop research.

i. What is employability?
ii. Why is employability significant for higher education?
iii. What are the approaches to embedding employability in universities globally?
iv. What are the ways by which employability is developed and delivered in the Nigerian context?
v. What factors inhibit the implementation and effective delivery of employability initiatives in
Nigerian universities?
vi. How can the quality and effectiveness of employability delivery in Nigerian universities be improved?

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The Social Capital Theory (SCT) is adopted for this work. This is because the university system, being
an open social system, interacts with its environment, on which it depends for its inputs and the dis-
charge of its outputs. The SCT views capital as the resources contained in social interactions (Rogošić
& Baranović, 2016). It generally refers to collectively-owned assets which reside in and are derived
from durable relationships between actors and/or social units (Al-Tabbaa & Ankrah, 2016). Research
has shown that such relationships produce beneficial outcomes, including better communication and

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knowledge sharing and enhanced use of intellectual capital (Salamzadeh et al., 2022). For this research,
social capital is conceptualized as the sum of all forms of resources available through the network of
relationships that a social unit possesses. The social capital perspective, as conceived here, also refers
to the ability to influence human capital development and the performance of industries and the nation
at large (Arranz et al., 2022). This work postulates that the cooperation between universities, the indus-
try and government affect the employability of university graduates, which determines the quality of
employees supplied to the industry and, in the long run, leads to improvement in the nation’s economic
development. It is assumed that industries, through cooperation agreements, can influence the curricula
of universities to increase the degree of their satisfaction with the employment of university graduates.
The government also, through adequate financial commitments and the guarantee of a suitable policy
framework for university-industry linkages, can increase both academic and industrial efficiency.

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH

The approach utilized for this study is a desk review research, encompassing a comprehensive analysis
of both conceptual and empirical literature related to the topic at hand. The review focuses on multiple
works by the researcher and other scholars aimed at enhancing employability delivery in Nigeria and
other regions across the globe. Desk research primarily involves gathering data from existing resources,
including peer-reviewed academic publications, the press, analytical and empirical reports, and statistical
publications (Asamoah & Mackin, 2015; Pitan, 2016b).

EMPLOYABILITY

The Concepts of Employability and Employability Skills

In this chapter, the concept of employability encompasses the capacity of undergraduates to acquire and
demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, attributes, and attitudes to excel in the job search process,
perform their job duties effectively, establish their own businesses, and adapt to the ever-changing job
market, ultimately leading to their success and satisfaction (Hayes et al., 2022). Such employability
skills, also referred to as transferable or generic skills, are versatile competencies not tied to a specific
job, task, or academic discipline but, instead, can be applied to various situations and work settings
(Jackson & Tomlinson, 2020). Using the Employability Skills Framework developed by the United
States Department of Education (http://cte.ed.gov/employabilityskills), employability skills can be said
to comprise a set of nine key skills under which there are other specific skills. These include applied
academic skills, critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, personal qualities, communication skills,
resource management, systems thinking, information use and technology use skills. From the framework
mentioned above, the World Economic Forum (WEF; 2020) has identified the following skills as the
top ten (10) core employability skills that are highly sought-after and which global employers view as
important in the run-up to 2025: (i) complex problem solving, (ii) critical thinking and analysis, (iii) cre-
ativity, originality and initiative, (iv) leadership and social influence, (v) technology use, (vi) monitoring
and control, (vii) technology design and programming, (viii) resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility,
(ix) emotional intelligence, and (x) reasoning, analytical thinking and innovation. The significance of

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graduates possessing these skills and being adaptable to the numerous professional changes they will
encounter throughout their careers cannot be overemphasized. This is particularly critical in light of
the disruptive and inevitable challenges arising in the modern workplace and the changing nature of
work patterns (Pitan & Muller, 2023). The traditional idea of a lifelong career is fading, and temporary
contracts, part-time positions, online work, outsourcing, and remote work are becoming more prevalent.
These changes are a consequence of advancements in technology, driven by the 4th Industrial Revolu-
tion, as well as environmental and health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic (Donald, 2020;
Pitan & Muller, 2023).

Significance of Employability for Higher Education

The production of employable graduates, which is a major reason for both private and public investment
in university education, is the expectation of every stakeholder in university education. For parents and
many students, pursuing a university education involves a cost-benefit analysis (Mohee, 2019). They
want reassurance that acquiring a university education will yield a higher rate of return in terms of good
earnings, employment opportunities and flexibility in the labor market. Employers demand graduates
who are already made to perform, work-ready and able to demonstrate academic and generic skills. Also,
government officials, accountable for government investment in public university education, encourage
universities to ensure graduates meet employers’ expectations (Pitan & Muller, 2021).
Apart from satisfying stakeholders’ expectations, graduate employability is one feature that influ-
ences a university’s reputation and selection by potential applicants (López‐Miguens et al., 2021; Mohee,
2019). Therefore, with the challenges imposed by unprecedented growth in the provision of university
education, and the use of graduate employability as one of the means of ranking universities, one of how
a university can differentiate its graduates from those of numerous competitors is through its ability to
prepare students for employment successfully. Thus, each university must strive to position and distin-
guish itself amongst numerous competing alternatives. This, in turn, will facilitate the developing and
nurturing of a commendable reputation among prospective customers. Given the demands on universi-
ties to meet stakeholders’ expectations and differentiate their products from numerous competitors, it is
apparent that universities are under pressure to produce employable graduates.

Global Approaches for Delivering Employability

Due to the awareness of the significance of employability for universities, as highlighted above, several
universities are already adopting deliberate methods to support their students’ employability, including
those in Nigeria (Adedeji et al., 2016; Bradley et al., 2022; Bridgstock et al., 2019; Dacre Pool, 2020;
Knight & Yorke, 2004; Okolie et al., 2021; Padgett & Donald, 2023). However, according to Bridgstock
et al. (2019) and Yorke and Knight (2006), these approaches differ concerning context, the type of uni-
versity, its organizational structure, and the envisaged labor markets. Therefore, one size does not fit all
institutions regarding the development of students’ employability.
Based on Yorke and Knight’s (2006) notion of ‘one size does not fit all’, universities adopt different
approaches and models of delivering employability to their students. As noted in the introduction section,
the different approaches identified in the literature (Bradley et al., 2022; Cranmer, 2006; Romanova, 2022;
Yorke & Knight, 2006) can be conceptualized into three main approaches as ‘total embedding’, ‘explicit
embedding’ and ‘parallel approach’. Concerning these approaches, some universities have embedded

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employability in their curricula while others offer it as a parallel approach through career services, sepa-
rate from students’ courses. However, no single, ideal prescription for embedding employability can be
provided because the employability delivery approach has to be undertaken concerning the curricular,
regional or country contexts and specific national skills framework (Mohee, 2019; Romanova, 2022;
Yorke & Knight, 2006). Practicing a particular approach in isolation from others may also be challenging.
For instance, academics implicitly embed employability skills into their curriculum by incorporating
employability-focused content such as group work, practical sessions, meeting deadlines, and field trips.
Additionally, universities may offer standalone employability courses or modules that explicitly teach
transferable skills like communication, time management, planning, and entrepreneurship. Research has
shown that student work experience and employer participation in designing and delivering courses are
essential (Hazenberg et al., 2015; Mason et al., 2009; Pitan & Muller, 2021). Therefore, many universities
include work experience in their degree programs and collaborate with graduate employers. At the same
time, some universities have career service and employability centers that offer guidance on creating
effective CVs or application forms and excelling in job interviews (Bates et al., 2019, cited in Bradley
et al., 2022). It is widely recognized that strengthening the careers service center is a preferred way to
enhance an institution’s contribution to student employability (Yorke & Knight, 2006).

The Development and Delivery of Employability in the Nigerian Context

In Nigeria, evidence indicates that to ensure the alignment of university curricula to the demands of
the industry, policymakers and many universities are putting efforts and initiatives in place to develop
students’ employability (Ibrahim, 2016). One such initiative is the recent (December 2022) release of
an updated curriculum for Nigerian universities tagged the ‘Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic
Standards’ (CCMAS) by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the government umbrella body
that oversees the activities of universities in Nigeria. The CCMAS was borne out of the quest to make
university education in Nigeria more responsive to the needs of society and to reflect the 21st Century
realities in the existing and new disciplines and programs in the Nigerian University System (https://
nuc-ccmas.ng/). In the university curriculum, all academic courses are designed to include employability-
enhancing content, not just those with a vocational focus. A few academics embed activities such as pre-
sentations, group work, meeting deadlines, practical sessions, excursions to local employers, simulations
and case studies into their teachings to develop transferable skills and attributes such as communication,
confidence, teamwork and analytical thinking (Donald et al., 2019; Tymon, 2013).
Also, emphases are laid on students’ and graduates’ acquisition of work experience, which is regarded
as the optimum technique for developing employability-related skills and personal attributes (Tymon,
2013). In recognition of the importance of work experience to students’/graduates’ employability, there
is a provision for students (though not in all fields) to have work experience while in the university.
The scheme is called the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES). It intends to prepare
and expose undergraduates to the industrial work situation between three and six months of industrial
attachment, at least twice, before they exit the university. Students are assessed and graded on their
performance in the industrial work experience (Okolie et al., 2020). To ensure students’ exposure to
real-world activities, a few universities also collaborate with corporate organizations to organize career
talks, interviews and aptitude tests (Adedeji, Oyebade & British Council, 2016; Pitan, 2016a).

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In addition, to ensure that students are prepared academically and for work, universities in Nigeria
are making efforts for students to develop an entrepreneurial culture. For instance, it is now mandatory
in Nigerian universities for students to offer courses in entrepreneurship (Pitan & Muller, 2023).
Despite the above efforts and other policy initiatives that have been put in place by NUC and the
Nigerian universities to incorporate employability into the curriculum to ensure the production of em-
ployable graduates, there are concerns in respect of the effectiveness, implementation and inclusivity of
such initiatives (Okolie et al., 2020; Pitan & Muller, 2023). Empirical findings show that many Nigerian
universities and academics do not adequately incorporate the initiatives into their curricula and implement
them (Nwajiuba et al., 2020; Okolie et al., 2021). Therefore, many students exit the university without
developing the expected employability skills.

CHALLENGES OF EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF

EMPLOYABILITY IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

The lack of proper implementation of employability efforts by academics and the absence of employ-
ability skills among university graduates have been blamed for several problems, according to authors
in the field of employability in Nigeria (Nwajiuba et al., 2020; Ossai & Okokoyo, 2022; Pitan, 2016b).
Five such problems are now discussed.

Poor Learning and Teaching Environment

In Nigeria, teaching and learning occur in a setting that is quite depressing. Both academics and students
are less motivated under such conditions. Nigerian universities are plagued by an unreliable electricity
supply, a lack of internet access, deficient and inadequate hostels, outdated and overcrowded lecture
halls and classrooms, a high lecturer-to-student ratio, and a lack of exposure to the newest computer
software. There is a lack of adequate library equipment, an absence of required laboratory apparatus, and
inadequate office space (Pitan, 2016b). Professor’s monthly salary is less than 1,000 USD. Naturally,
working or learning in such a setting would result in discontent and a lack of drive to achieve one’s full
potential (Igwe et al., 2022). Recently, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) members across
the nation went on an 8-month strike (from February to October 2022) in demand of better financing for
revitalizing the nation’s education sector. Also, they urged that the platform the government uses to pay
their salaries to be reviewed since it is ineffective, prone to corruption, and unrelated to the university
system elsewhere in the world (https://bit.ly/3kcHQOj). Surprisingly, the university lecturers were not
paid their salaries during the walkout period. According to sources, a few of them passed away due to
financial hardship during the strike time, and many of the younger ones have left the country in search
of better conditions of service.

Inadequate Funding

The government’s underfunding of universities is the fundamental cause of poor teaching and learning
environment. As evidenced in the graph below, the government, over the years, has grossly underfunded
education to the extent that the annual budget proportion allocated to public education falls short of the
15-20 per cent recommended by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organizations

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(UNESCO). Among the E9 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Ni-
geria and Pakistan), the D8 countries (Bangladesh, Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan,
and Turkey), or even among sub-Saharan African countries, Nigeria is the only country that allocates
less than 20 per cent of its annual budget to education (Adamu, 2017). This has largely contributed to
public universities being characterized by poor infrastructures, overcrowded classrooms and incessant
strikes, consequently producing low-quality graduates.

Table 1. Federal Government Financial Allocation to Education, 2015-2022

Year Percentage of Budget Allocated to Education (%)

2015 10.79
2016 7.90
2017 6.13
2018 7.14
2019 7.12
*2020 6.50
* 2021 5.60
*2022 5.40
Source: Sasu (2022) and * Dataphyte.com (2023)

Lecturers’ Lack of Effective Pedagogy and Delivery Method

Part of the responsibilities of universities is the employment of qualified and competent academics
and the encouragement of professionalism. However, based on empirical and anecdotal findings, it has
been discovered that little or no attention is paid to pedagogy which is left entirely to the discretion
of academics (Fredua-Kwarteng & Ofosu, 2018; Nwajiuba et al., 2020). Universities assume, without
evidence, that lecturers possess expertise in the theory and practice of teaching, learning and assess-
ment. While, undoubtedly, lecturers were reported to be experts in their chosen fields of specialization,
Fredua-Kwarteng and Ofosu (2018) revealed that most of them lack knowledge and skill in effective
pedagogy. For example, although all academic courses are designed to include employability-enhancing
content, only a few academics embed these skills in their teachings. Attention is paid more to the theo-
retical content of the curriculum, while the practical aspect, aimed at students’ skill acquisition, is often
ignored (Okolie et al., 2021).

Students’ Limited Exposure to Career Guidance Activities (CGAs)

Career Guidance Activities (CGA) are planned experiences designed by the university to facilitate the
development of self-awareness, opportunity awareness, decision learning and transition learning in stu-
dents. For students to be adequately equipped for employment, possessing these skills is fundamental
(Law & Watts, 2003, cited in Pitan & Atiku, 2017). However, Pitan and Muller (2023) found that Nigerian
university students felt their universities were not exposing them sufficiently to CGA. Further results
from that research showed that the students were deficient in the presentation skills (i.e. CV and job

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application writing skills and skills to succeed at job interviews) needed to convince prospective employ-
ers about their suitability for a job. One of the factors that may be responsible for students’ inadequate
exposure to CGA is the lack of career units (or centers) staffed by professional career counsellors in the
universities. Empirical studies have shown that the services of career guidance counsellors are hardly
rendered in Nigerian universities, and where they exist, they are either dysfunctional or underutilized
(British Council, 2015; Okolie et al., 2021). Universities where such units exist do not provide the ex-
pected services because professionals are not employed to manage their affairs. Such units are staffed
by administrative staff who know nothing about professional career counselling. Insufficient exposure
of students to CGA, as found by Pitan and Muller (2023), suggests that the sampled universities may
produce graduates who are ignorant of the skills demanded in the labor market. Even when such gradu-
ates have the required skills, they may not be able to convince prospective employers of their possession
of such skills confidently. Findings by Bennett et al. (2016) revealed that although students believe and
look up to their lecturers as the dominant source of career information, only an insignificant percentage
(10 per cent) of them discuss careers regularly with their lecturers. It could be deduced from this, just
as the authors concluded, that information relating to the workplace and career was expected to come
from elsewhere.

Inadequate Collaboration Between Universities and Graduate Employers

Despite the emphasis on the importance of collaboration between universities and employers of gradu-
ates, the involvement of employers in contributing to curriculum design and graduate recruitment has
not been encouraging. Part of the systematic approaches universities should adopt, as their responsibility
towards developing their students’ employability, is building and sustaining partnerships with employers
of labor. There are several pieces of evidence (Bennett et al., 2016; Mason et al., 2009; Nwajiuba et al.,
2020; Okolie et al., 2021; Shewakena & Belay, 2017) that emphasize the benefits of employers’ involve-
ment in program delivery and industry exposure to the students’ development of professional behaviors
and skills. Among such benefits are: improved relevance of learning outcomes; enhanced content of
courses concerning the needs of industry; intrinsic real-life experiences through industrial attachment;
immediate feedback on the adequacy of the developed curriculum; development of new courses and
adjustment of present ones; better-trained graduates; improved quality of educational programs; research
collaboration; attraction of funding, and better employment opportunities for graduates. Students’ aca-
demic programs are insufficient in and of themselves to create high employability outcomes (Bennett et
al., 2016). However, as previously mentioned, there is a lack of adequate collaboration between Nigerian
universities and the industry (Okolie et al., 2021). The likely result is graduates’ lack of knowledge about
the contemporary workplace.

RECOMMENDATIONS

From the previous discussions in this chapter, it has been realized that, as part of the goals of higher
education in Nigeria, there are provisions in the curriculum signaling the embedding of employability
into the curriculum through different employability development initiatives. However, achieving these
goals through successful implementation has been a significant obstacle (Adebisi, 2014). There have
been calls for appropriate interventions for any visible systemic change in the status quo. Key among

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these interventions is a collaboration among the stakeholders in university education (Bennett et al., 2016;
Cvetkovic et al., 2017; Kimatu, 2016; Nwajuiba et al., 2020; O’Regan et al., 2022; Pitan & Muller, 2021).
The intervention becomes necessary as the lack of (or little) interaction between government, universi-
ties, and industries is responsible for the challenges facing many developing countries in their efforts
to foster employability and entrepreneurship skills among their university graduates (Kimatu, 2016).
Since employability development is a shared challenge, there is a need for shared solutions as a logical
first step. The change will not occur unless stakeholders develop a shared vision, goals, and priorities
to focus on a collective effort (Bennett et al., 2016). Based on this, the chapter concludes with a recom-
mendation for adopting the Triple Helix Model (THM) to deliver employability in Nigerian Universities.

The Triple Helix Approach (THA) to the Delivery of Employability

The Triple Helix Model transforms the interaction between the university, industry, and government to
produce knowledgeable, innovative, and employable workers for the 21st century (Abbas et al., 2019;
Winterton & Turner, 2019, as cited in Pitan & Muller, 2021). This model is used as a policy tool to
enhance students’ employability and foster collaborations among the three key players in the model.
(Gachie, 2020). With growing pressure on universities to adopt new roles, including supporting stu-
dents with employability skills and entrepreneurial techniques, universities’ position as isolated islands
of knowledge is no longer viable. This has led to the institutions’ increasing need to engage more with
external affiliates such as the industry and government (Salamzadeh et al., 2022). There is a need to
realize that a country’s innovative and sustainable economic development depends on the presence of
a strong government, universities and industries and how they mutually interact for strategic objectives
(Kimatu, 2016).
In the context of developing students’ employability, the responsibilities of the three pillars of the
Triple Helix Model are depicted in the model (Figure 1) and discussed below as recommendations for
the effective delivery of employability in Nigerian universities.

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Figure 1. Triple Helix Approach (THA) to the Delivery of Employability

Note: The shaded section at the center depicts the areas of mutual relationships.
Source: Author, adapted from Gachie (2020)

The University

Universities need to consider developing innovative teaching pedagogies and delivery methods. As a
starting point, workshops on themes such as ‘Teaching and Pedagogical Skills’, ‘Mentoring and Coaching
Skills’, and ‘Employer Expectations of New Graduates’ should be organized for newly employed aca-
demics, especially for those who have no background in education and for those who have no industrial
experience. Lecturers must design ways of incorporating the components of employability into their
teaching methods (Padgett & Donald, 2023). This could be achieved by consciously emphasizing practical
work and real-life situations more than theory and embracing authentic assessment approaches (Pitan &
Muller, 2021). Employability skills could be taught by paying particular attention to simulations, group
projects, individual projects, seminar sessions, visits to firms, and getting employers involved in their
teaching and assessment. The lecturers could also assist in developing self-confidence, self-esteem and
emotional stability in their students through their assessment methods and feedback to students (Pitan,
2016b). Increased support for student work experience and internships is germane for effective employ-
ability delivery. There is a need for all students to be exposed to well-monitored work experience at

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least twice before exiting the university. For the program’s effectiveness, universities must collaborate
with industries to supervise IT students and adequately design functional work-placement programs.
Career Guidance Activities (CGA) have been identified as a strong tool through which other com-
ponents of employability might be enhanced (Pitan, 2016a), but, unfortunately, university students in
Nigeria lack exposure to it. To ensure adequate exposure of students to CGA, there is a need for career
service units (or employability centers) that are staffed with professionally trained career experts in
all Nigerian universities, as obtainable in universities in developed countries (Jackson & Tomlinson,
2020). These professionals’ job descriptions should include specific responsibilities such as organizing
orientation programs, career workshops, and job fairs for students. Specifically, they need to orientate
students on how to add value to their degree certificates and keep a record of their personal achievements
and areas that need improvement as they progress in their studies. An industry liaison office within the
career service unit should link universities and industries (Okolie et al., 2021). The liaison office will
be responsible for collaborating with employers and alums in such activities as inviting them as guest
lecturers, for student project supervision, building networks, and for workshops and training on cur-
rent skills needs of the industry. The career service units can also partner with academics in various
departments to give advice (particularly tailored support), serve as career mentors to their students and
even connect them with their own contacts who are practitioners. The career service units would need
to increase awareness of the services they offer to engage and support more students, particularly those
who would benefit from such support the most (Donald et al., 2018).

Industry

For students to understand the job market and its needs, the industry and the alums are expected to develop
a strong, effective and sustained collaboration with universities (Nwajiuba, 2020). Such collaboration
is particularly important in areas of curriculum development and delivery; external examiners, student
work experience/internships; developing opportunity awareness skills of students by acting as guest lec-
turers to speak to students about current skills requirements of the world of work; designing functional
work-placement programs; exchange programs where university lecturers observe their sabbaticals in
industries and vice versa for employers (Bennett et al., 2016; Shewakena, 2017), and the inclusion of
students and academics by industries in real-life projects and problem-solving. This type of collaboration
has the potential to assist universities in designing their curricula per industry requirements and industry
expectations of graduates’ skills (Arranze et., 2022; Cvetkovic et al., 2017). At the same time, companies
will benefit by having better-trained graduates and easy selection and graduate recruitment exercises.

Governments

In the Nigerian context of the Triple Helix collaboration model, the role of the government is expected
to be stronger than those of universities and industries because it plays a key role in funding universities
(Abbas et al., 2019). To provide an enabling teaching and learning environment, the Nigerian govern-
ment needs to be more committed to releasing funds for university education. Such funds are essential
in providing basic infrastructures such as well-equipped and modern laboratories, libraries, lecture
rooms and lecture theatres, hostel facilities, staff offices and other amenities. Empirical findings show
that funding is a significant challenge for university education in Nigeria (Nwajiuba et al., 2020). To
begin with, there must be a consistent commitment of the 26% of UNESCO recommendation of fund

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allocation to education. Failure to respect and maintain this recommendation will continue to pose a
clear risk to achieving quality higher education (Onyeike & Onyeagbako, 2014) and, subsequently, the
production of unemployable graduates in the country. One way to overcome the allocation of funds to
universities is for the government to reduce its influence and allow for more private-led initiatives and
investment in university education (Nwajiuba et al., 2020). However, the emphasis should not merely be
on increasing the fund allocation but more on improving the funding process, especially in adequately
monitoring the allocated funds to avoid wastage, corruption and mishandling.
Also, the Nigerian government has to find a lasting solution to the strike actions incessantly embarked
upon by academic staff of public universities, which has brought a lot of setbacks (such as brain drain and
production of unemployable graduates) to the development of university education in the country. With
the Nigerian government’s continuous negligence and unresponsive attitude to the demands of ASUU,
relating to the release of funds for the revitalization of Nigerian public universities and improvement
in their welfare package, the implementation and effective delivery of employability initiatives may be
a mere mirage.
Another key role of the government in the THA is facilitating university-industry linkages via adequate
policies and regulations. For example, the government may need to establish a consultative process
whereby the voices of relevant industry executives/business managers are considered in curriculum
development so that university programs can better respond to industry needs (Shewakena, 2017). The
government can also enact a policy that mandates employers in the private sector not to reject students
sent to them for SIWES.

CONCLUSION

This chapter considered the importance and inevitability of embedding employability into the curricula
of tertiary institutions in Nigeria and identified different ways universities try to achieve this. However,
a critical analysis of the approach to employability delivery in Nigerian universities indicated several
impediments to the successful implementation and effective delivery of employability initiatives. It was
then argued that for the workability of any model adopted for the delivery of employability by universities,
the identified impediments must be overcome. To overcome the impediments, the chapter recommended
the adoption of the Social Capital Theory, particularly the Triple Helix system of relationships among
major stakeholders in university education. The responsibilities of the three pillars (university, industry
and government) of the Triple Helix Model for effectively embedding employability were discussed. A
major takeaway is that the university’s position as ‘isolated islands of knowledge’ is no longer feasible;
hence there is increased need for engagement and partnership with other stakeholders (especially the
industry and the government) in university education.
Concerning theoretical implication, this chapter expanded the previous employability literature by
showing that greater social capital among the university, the industry and the government favored the
employability and subsequent employment of university graduates. It also captured the roles of univer-
sity, industry and government in the employability of university students and in reducing the skills gap.
This is in opposition to the submissions of most previous studies (O’Regan et al., 2022; Shewakena,
2017), which focused on the partnership between universities and industry alone while neglecting
the role of government. Also, while previous literature emphasized the competencies and skills that
university graduates acquire during their time at the university as a key to employability, the approach

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in this chapter indicated that the social capital created in the establishment of cooperation among the
stakeholders has positive effects on university students (Arranz et al., 2022). The relationship fosters an
enabling environment for acquiring competencies and skills, further facilitating students’ employability
and, subsequently, their employment.
In addition, this chapter provided practical contributions to employability literature by stressing the
significance of social capital via the triple helix system of relationships in mitigating the impediments
to the effective delivery of employability (Al-Tabbaa & Ankrah, 2016) in developing countries and Ni-
geria in particular. Therefore, universities should facilitate the access of employers in their educational
activities by creating more attractive participation channels for them (Arranz et al., 2022). In promoting
the efficiency of the university and the industry, the government must provide an enabling environment
by making adequate finances available to universities while ensuring a suitable policy framework for
university-industry linkages.
It is important to acknowledge the quadruple helix model as an extension of the triple helix model
in the literature. The quadruple helix model recognizes the critical role of civil society or end-users in
driving innovation, development, and delivery of services in various sectors, including education. In the
context of employability delivery, collaboration among academia, industry, government, and civil society
can lead to a more comprehensive and effective approach to preparing graduates for the job market. The
involvement of other stakeholders, such as parents, students, media, non-governmental organizations,
and faith-based organizations, can provide unique perspectives and insights into employability needs
and trends (Hasche et., al, 2020; Kimatu, 2016). Future research should explore how collaborations
among stakeholders in the quadruple helix model can improve university employability delivery. This
would involve identifying the specific roles that each stakeholder can play and establishing effective
communication channels and partnerships. Such collaborations would also help to promote a better un-
derstanding of the needs of employers, students, and other stakeholders, leading to more responsive and
relevant employability initiatives. Overall, the quadruple helix model presents a promising approach to
employability delivery, and universities should prioritize collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure
that graduates are adequately prepared for the job market.

FUNDING

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-
profit sectors.

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

Career Guidance: A planned program designed to assist undergraduates in acquiring the knowledge,
information, and skills necessary to identify job paths and career options.
Disruptive Labor Market: It is the action of an entire change in the traditional way the labor market
operates due to the use of new methods or technology.
Employability Delivery Approaches: These are methods or ways by which employability skills are
delivered in the university curriculum.
Employability: The acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes that make graduates flexible in
the job market and successful in their professional life.
Explicit Embedding: This is the integration of employability into the curriculum by the teaching of
employability skills as separate courses or modules.
Flexibility Skill: The ability to respond to changes quickly and with ease.
Opportunity Awareness: The ability of students to know about work opportunities and their re-
quirements.
Parallel Approach: This is a method of delivering employability by universities through career
services and employability centers, which provide guidance to students on how to develop presentation
skills, such as preparing effective CVs, application forms, and how to be successful at job interviews.
Social Capital Theory: A theory that examines how social relationships encourage collaboration
and other benefits by individuals and organizations beyond that which it was originally created for.
Total Embedding: The integration of contents of employability such as practical sessions, meeting
deadlines, group work, and field trips into courses or modules by academics.

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