‘Education must align with dynamic skills’

HUMAN resources experts have called for a fundamental rethink of Zimbabwe’s approach to youth employment, university degree programmes and artificial intelligence, warning that the country risks producing graduates who are academically qualified but functionally unemployable.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) Global Summit in Victoria Falls yesterday, Dr Philimon Chitagu, Schweppes Zimbabwe Human Resources Director and Bindura

University Council Vice Chairman, said the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical competence remains the single biggest obstacle facing young job seekers.

“From my experience, they have got the degree qualification but they don’t have the necessary experience to execute the jobs,” Dr Chitagu told delegates.

“So, it’s now the role of the organisation to make sure that they impart the relevant skills, knowledge and the right behaviour to execute the tasks.”

Dr Chitagu identified practical skills, communication, problem-solving, adaptability, and professionalism as the core competencies employers prioritise but many graduates fall short.

He was particularly critical of what he termed learning by googling, where students rely on internet searches to complete assignments and examinations without developing genuine mastery.

“They just go google, they write their assignments, in some situations they also pass the examinations. But in terms of the relevant skills, the practical skills that organisations need, they fall short,” said Dr Chitagu.

He called on businesses to provide structured workplace exposure, mentorship and real responsibilities for interns and graduate trainees, rather than treating them as cheap labour or creating artificial positions.

“You need to teach them how to learn. You need to teach them how to fish,” he said. “But obviously also giving them fishing rods to learn thereafter.”

On the question of artificial intelligence, Dr Chitagu cautioned against using technology as a justification for retrenchment while acknowledging that AI cannot replace certain human capacities, particularly empathy.

“Technology itself will not do everything that people may think it will do,” he said.

“For instance, when you look at issues to do with empathy, the AI or any other technological tool is not as methodical as what the employees will be doing.”

He emphasised that continuous learning and skills development must accompany technological advancement to keep employees relevant.

Dr Christopher Mugaga, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer, also spoke on Zimbabwe’s education system and its obsession with university degrees.

“When we celebrate numbers, what kind of employee are we creating out of what we celebrate?” Dr Mugaga asked, citing high youth unemployment rates in countries with highly rated universities.

He pointed to Germany’s technical vocational education and training (TVET) system as a model Zimbabwe should emulate, lamenting that local attitudes treat polytechnic education as a lesser path.

“Most of our teens, you tell them to go to a polytechnic, they think they are not ambitious enough,” said Dr Mugaga.

He also raised concerns about artificial intelligence, highlighting how AI systems reflect the values and biases of their developers.

Dr Mugaga questioned whether African countries are prepared to shape AI development rather than simply consume foreign technologies.

Mr Stanley Kadzima, Deputy Director of Diaspora Skills in the Ministry of Skills Audit, presented a comprehensive framework for preparing graduates, youth and women for decent employment, urging a shift from episodic education to continuous, self-directed skill evolution.

“Decent employment requires transitioning from episodic education to continuous, self-directed skill evolution,” Mr Kadzima told delegates, citing global megatrends that are fundamentally restructuring labour demand worldwide. He said 170 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030, while 39 percent of core workplace skills will be transformed, making static credentials insufficient for economic security.

“The imperative for graduates is clear: education must align with dynamic skills,” he said.

Mr Kadzima outlined an inclusion framework built on three pillars: ‘Everyone, Everything, Everywhere’, which extends talent development beyond traditional schools to empower working adults, women and rural youth, shifts focus from basic literacy to high cognitive, socio-emotional and technological skill sets, and overcomes financial, time and geographic barriers through hybrid digital learning platforms.

“Public-private coalitions, joint industry-school curricula, workplace training and co-funded vocational excellence centres are essential,” Mr Kadzima said.

He also advocated for micro-credentials recognising modular, bite-sized skill mastery, individual learning accounts for vulnerable groups, and shared responsibility through co-investments from Government and industry.

The TNF Global Summit, running under the theme: Inclusive Growth, Decent Work, Beneficiation and Investment Promotion, has drawn over 400 delegates from more than eight countries.

The gathering is expected to produce practical policy recommendations on employment creation, skills development and labour market transformation.