Rector, - International ICT Capacity Building Conference ... skills (e.g. computer software) Have...

TECHNOLOGY START-UP HUB AND THE ENHANCEMENT

OF CREATIVITY AND EMPLOYABILITY AMONG

STUDENTS OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

Prof. (Mrs.) Stella.C Chiemeke KSM, FNCS

(Professor of Computer Science)

Rector,Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku

(Delta State, Nigeria).

Email:[email protected]

International ICT Conference on Capacity Building For Tertiary

Institutions Organised By The Digital Bridge Institute (DBI), Abuja

25th – 27th July, 2017

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It is indeed a great honour and privilege to be invited as a Speaker in this International conference of significant importance.

I must commend Digital Bridge Institute and the local organizing committee for the choice of the theme: Leveraging Capacity

Building Opportunities in the Digital Age.

This is a timely response to the growing realization of benefits of the digital economy as well as bridging mismatch between what the

market is demanding and what institutions of are providing, consequent of which is un-employability of Nigerian Graduates

PREAMBLE

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: A GLOBAL OUTLOOK YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY MODEL THE MISSING LINK INDICATOR OF THE MISSING LINK: THE GLOBAL COMPETITION THE INSTITUTIONAL ISSUE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: SOLUTION FOR GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT THE HANGING QUESTIONS TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS AND NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS: GLOBAL IMPACT INNOVATIVE STARTUP HUBS MODELS TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS AND OUR INSTITUTIONS: THE SYNERGY WHY TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN OUR INSTITUTIONS? INNOVATIVE STARTUP HUBS: KEY DRIVERS & MODELS TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTION SETTING UP TECHNOLOGY HUBS IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: LESSON FROM

IMPERIAL COLLEGE UK CONCLUSION

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YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT: A GLOBAL OUTLOOK

According to the ILO, 160 million people in the world today are unemployed, and many more subsist on the margins of the economy or have jobs that do

not provide them with adequate means to ensure their survival

Nearly 40 per cent of those without work are young people,

and levels of unemployment tend to be two to three times

higher for this group than for the adult population

The situation is particularly grievous for young graduates, as studies suggest a huge imbalance

between the supply of young workers and the demand for

their labour (World Youth Report, 2001)

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YOUTH UNDEREMPLOYMENT

Underemployed youth is triple the unemployment rate (Mourshed et al., 2012).

These are predominantly youth who work in the informal sector,

facing low wages, no benefits, and a higher probability to be laid off

without any type of compensation.

Many of these are subsistence jobs, which are common in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and are

undertaken by University graduates. Although these jobs count as employment, they do

little to contribute to an individual’s well-being and a

country’s economic development

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YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA

Nigeria which is Africa’s most

populous nation with more than 170

million people — is also the continent’s

leading economy and number one oil

producer

Unfortunately, It estimated that youth

unemployment in Nigeria went up 3.5

million in 2009 to 11.549 million in 2017 (National

Bureau of Statistics, 2017).

Of the total population of unemployed

Nigerians, 45% are graduates of tertiary Institutions most of

whom are not employable

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GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY

Graduate employability means that institutions have

supported the student knowledge, skills, attributes,

reflective disposition and identity that graduates need

to succeed in the workforce. It also means that higher

education alumni have developed the capacity to

obtain and/or create work (Hinchliffe & Jolly, 2011).

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GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY CONTD.

To be employable after graduation means that you;

Are able to demonstrate

soft skills (e.g. communication,

problem solving) and career

specific skills (e.g. computer

software)

Have accumulated

knowledge and can apply

information in the workplace

Show a positive attitude of

energy, commitment

and contribution

Know yourself, your profile, your desired

career path and

Leverage a developed network to

connect you with career opportunity

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GRADUATE EMPLOYABILITY MODEL

Sources: Dacre et al., 2007

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THE MISSING LINK

There is an overall mismatch between what the market is demanding and what institutions of learning—formal and non-formal—are

providing. The knowledge and skills for creating a business are even more lacking in most of our instructional curricular

Universities are the places where specialized human

resources are developed and access to university

education is an indicator of a country's production of

skilled personnel. Employers of labour on the other hand

rely on these skilled personnel for productivity.

In fact the mismatch between education system and labour

market needs, manifests through the disparity between

supply of and demand for labour. This imbalance is positively correlated with long-term unemployment,

coupled with poverty, social isolation and overall stunted

economic growth

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INDICATOR OF THE MISSING LINK: THE

GLOBAL COMPETITION

The increased complexity of the global economic value chain, the enforcement of strict public and private industry standards and the growing competition among industries, raises the question: How prepared are Nigerian tertiary

institution to meet the need of expanding workforce development?

Regrettably, more evidence continues to emerge, that most graduates of tertiary Institutions in Nigeria though professionally qualified are unemployable, in that they lack the requisite, essential skills or

competencies needed in the job or for sustainable employment.

Survey report on the Effect of the quality of tertiary education on employability of fresh graduates in Nigeria, shows that the current education system does not appear to be producing graduates with generic and essential

skills (Philips Consulting, 2014).

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THE INSTITUTIONAL ISSUE

From the perspective of employers, ‘employability’ to refer to ‘work

readiness’, that is, possession of the skills, knowledge, attitudes and

commercial understanding that will enable new graduates to make

productive contributions to organizational objectives (Manson, et al.,

2006). Going by this definition, there is narrow expectation that most

graduates of Nigerian tertiary Institution will ever be EMPLOYABLE, for

these reasons;

Digital literacies are not well

articulated in relation to

employability skills

Insufficient engagement and

partnership working with

employers

Minimal resources to develop digital

entrepreneurialism (digital enterprise)

Focus is on employment, rather than

employability or self-employability

Lack of joint approaches

between academic

departments and corporate careers/

employability services

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY: SOLUTION FOR GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT

The application of scientific knowledge, processes and devices for practical purposes. Digital

Technology falls into so many areas of Engineering, Business, Medicine, Communication, Agriculture,

Defense and etc

Digital Technology ?

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES – THE MAIN SOURCE FOR DEVELOPMENT

17th century –

• scientific revolution –scientific knowledge was applied and machines were invented

18th century –

• the beginning of the industrial revolution

19th century -

• intensive application of science in the material production

20th century –

inventing the computer

and its using, replacing

some functions of

the machines

21th century –expansion and

development of the functions of technology.

Technology acquires also some social

characteristics - new technologies can

reproduce biological and mental functions

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Source: World Bank, WDR 2016 team

The term commonly used to describe the changes produced

by information technology is the digital economy which refers to more than the boom and bust

cycle of many new ventures aiming to tap the potential of the Internet for commercial

purposes.

The potential of information and communication technologies to

improve the livelihoods of people in developing countries

has been at the centre of discussion at regional and

International meeting recently

A panel of eminent persons, set up by the UN Secretary General as a part of a Youth Employment

Network Initiative, has specifically recommended a

focus on information and communication technologies (ICT) as a means of creating

more jobs for young people (UN, 2001)

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STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

There is a growing interest in the role that entrepreneurship as a catalyst to achieve economic and social development objectives, including growth, innovation, employment, and equity (Alerio et al., 2014)

Effectively exploiting entrepreneurship training in our tertiary Institutions and developing a highly skilled workforce is critical for the future growth of our economy, and graduates have a vital part to play – through their ability to challenge assumptions, to energise and to innovate.

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STUDENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION

CONTD.

Graduates need the skills, capabilities and attributes to enable them to be successful in an ever changing global economic environment. Increasingly, employers expect graduates to be innovative, adaptable, resilient, and flexible and have an enterprising mind-set.

Entrepreneurship education supports employability by enabling students to develop the characteristics, attributes and skills that will enable them to make effective contributions to the economy and society. Entrepreneurship education clearly links to employability and as such, should be at the core of employability strategies

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT

The ongoing information technology revolution is transforming established sectors from manufacturing to health and creating new opportunities from microwork to apps development. This

requires people with the skills to both use and develop the computer, mobile phone and internet applications that are

powering these changes. The needs span a wide range of skills, from the most basic to very advanced, offering opportunities

for people of varying abilities

The information technology revolution is also fuelling new business creation. Tech-driven individuals are applying their

creative energies and becoming entrepreneurs in record numbers. Recognizing that entrepreneurship can be a viable career option, many governments are enacting policies aimed at encouraging

more graduates to become job creators and not job seekers.

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THE HANGING QUESTIONS

Given the urgent need to keep pace with rapid

technological changes, basic questions must be asked if

our graduate will ever have the chance to compete in the

digital economy.

What do we need to ensure that Nigerian graduates acquire ICT and entrepreneurship skills to tap into new ICT-enabled career

prospects?

Can we identify need for action given that

the market is creating new opportunities for

people with ICT

Skills?

How can technology start-up hubs enhance the

creativity and employability of

student graduates in Nigeria?

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TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS AND NIGERIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

To address the seeming mismatch between labour supply from tertiary institutions and workforce demand, the curricula of various institutions were adjusted to accommodate this digital entrepreneurial requirements. There are however some issues with the

present arrangement as the type of entrepreneurs that this arrangement breeds

falls into the artisan category.

The way forward therefore, is to push for our tertiary institution to become

technology startup hubs that will groom a generation of youths that can conceptualize,

novel ideas and translate them into commercially viable businesses in

partnership with technology institutions, academia and customers or clients.

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TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS

Technology startup hubs (or innovation hubs) are social communities or work space or research centers that provide

subject-matter expertise on technology trends, knowledge and strategic innovation management, and industry-specific insights

These hubs enable active knowledge transfer between researchers and business experts, on the one hand, and industry, government and

representatives of academia, on the other hand. Here, decision makers can meet and

brainstorm with scientists and business experts and discuss their complex business

challenges

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FEATURES OF STARTUP HUBS

Hubs are defined and

shaped by their unique features FOR PROFIT / PRIVATE

NON-PROFIT / SOCIAL VENTURE /

CHARITABLE

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY –I.E. MIX OF CREATIVE,

CULTURAL, TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL

ENTERPRISE

1.HOTDESKING

2.STUDIO SPACE

3. TRAINING, WORKSHOPS, EVENTS

4. MOBILE WORKING

5. ACCESS TO EQUIPMENT, SKILLS, RESOURCES, NETWORKS

6. INCUBATION, BUSINESS SUPPORT, MENTORING, FINANCING

7. RETAIL OPPORTUNITIES

8. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

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TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS: GLOBAL IMPACT

Worldwide Innovative Hubs play a huge role in developing creative economy and use their physical and/or virtual space for networking and

organisational development to support individuals, organisations, businesses and projects on a short or long term basis to:

Facilitate collaboration,

networking and skills development

Reach out and collaborate with

research and development

centres, institutions,

creative and non creative industries

Communicate and engage with a

wider audience and build global

Digital opportunities

Champion and celebrate

emerging talent

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INNOVATIVE STARTUP HUBS MODELS

Creative hubs come in all different shapes and sizes, and can be described in

many different ways – collectives, co-operatives, labs, incubators and can be

static, mobile or online. Here are a few of their most common features

STUDIO

Small collective of individuals and/or small

businesses, in a co-working

space.

NETWORK

Dispersed group of individuals

and/or businesses –tends to be

sector or place specific.

CENTRE

Large scale building which

may have other assets such as a

cafe, bar, cinema, maker space, shop,

exhibition space.

CLUSTER

Co-located creatives

individuals and businesses in a

geographic area.

ONLINE PLATFORM

Uses only online methods –

website, social media to engage

with a dispersed audience.

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TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS AND OUR INSTITUTIONS: THE SYNERGY

Tertiary institutions remain key players to

the growth and development of any functional

ecosystem as far as technology innovation is concerned and this is evident in their ability to feed the ecosystem

with the requisite skilled manpower to

scale its growth

Innovation is dependent upon

developments and outcomes of scientific

and technological research and

development, which incidentally are the

hallmarks of academic institutions

A reasonable degree of support

infrastructures (access to databases, information systems,

archives, online computation and

interactive learning platforms) for

technology startup hubs already exists in

our tertiary institutions

Academic institutions have strong links with

other research institutions, and with the public and private

sectors and can attract the needed

knowledge, expertise, funding and other required logistics germane to the

proper functioning of startup hubs

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WHY TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN OUR INSTITUTIONS?

The Hubs will attract individuals from a

range of backgrounds with a focus on

developing digital technology, enterprise and social innovation.

This will facilitate collaboration in physical

and digital space.

Hubs will provide support for students by way of services and/or facilities to the ideas,

projects, including events, skills training, capacity building and global opportunities

Hubs will create new forms of social

innovation – supporting new ventures, global

collaborations and growth, and new

relationships between creative practice,

business and students.

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WHY TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN OUR INSTITUTIONS ? CONTD.

Technology hubs will provide aspiring entrepreneurs access to resources such as network, office and meeting space; receive training, coaching and mentorship; engage in networking and build partnerships; get assistance with startup and venture capital funding; and other inputs to applications

development and technology advancement

Technology hubs provide an arena for learning and practicing software development and related skills, as well as business and management skills required to participate in the global game of

digital innovation.

• Among the benefits of technology hubs is the process of value creation for profit and non-profit enterprises and the

advancement of competitiveness of enterprises in the markets in which they operate

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INNOVATIVE STARTUP HUBS: KEY DRIVERS & MODELS

Academic institution led model

Civil society led model

Government led model

The Hybrid led model which involves multiple stakeholders which may cut across different sectors of the economy

Four main models of technology startup hubs

(Kelly and Firestone, 2016)

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TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTION

The idea of setting up technology startup hubs have

remained novel.

At the moment only two exist;

27/07/2017

TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN NIGERIA TERTIARY INSTITUTION CONTD

The Hebron Startup Labs is a wholly funded and run by the management of Covenant University. The aim is to produce visionary-minded entrepreneurs (regardless of their academic level) from within the institution rather than just having a certificate upon graduation and contributing in part to unemployment in the country.

Roar Nigeria is a University based tech startup incubator established by the management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to bolster innovation amongst students and non-students in the university. The major aim of setting the hub is to bring students together into teams to proffer innovative tech solutions to problems in the society

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SOME EXISTING OFF-TERTIARY INSTITUTION BASED TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS IN

NIGERIA

The tech hub provides key ingredients like seed funding, mentorship, access to

business expertise, networking opportunities, peer review, pitch development, product testing and

introduction to investors

The Hub offers training, incubation, co-working space, research, free

consultation during office hours, tech expositions, among other tech support

programs. Olotu Square houses the Google Developer Group and the Java

User Group, Port Harcourt

START INNOVATION HUB :Uyo OlotuSquare: Port Harcourt

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NIGERIA CONTD

Launched in July 2016, the Delta State Innovation Hub

(DS-iHub) is a capacitybuilding centre expected to encourage disruptive technology processes,

retool the workforce and develop a creative capacity

of new-thinkers.


NIGERIA Contd.

Information Technology DevelopersEntrepreneurship Accelerator (iDEA) Hubwas established in 2013 and it providessupport to digital entrepreneurs in theform of mentorship, co-working space,legal and other business support.

They also provide new ways to delivergovernment and social services and helpreduce poverty and unemployment.

CcHub is widely credited for putting aphysical location to what is commonlyreferred to as the technology ecosystemin Nigeria. The hub is designed to be amulti-functional, multi-purpose spacewhere creative social tech ventures arecatalysed.

iDEA Hub: Yaba Co-Creation Hub (CcHub): Lagos

27/07/2017


NIGERIA Contd.

With a base in Abuja, Enspire Hub is playing a crucial role in launching the Abuja Technology Village Free Zone

Company (ATV), which seeks to stimulate economic growth and sustainable job

creation in Nigeria through innovation. Services include an incubation and pre-

incubation program, acceleration program and business clinics

The Blue Hub in Kano State is a ‘tech-entrepreneurship’ hub aimed at catering for services that have to

do with technology and business incubation. Blue Hub’s services include incubation, workspaces,

workshops, seminars and ICT consultancy.

ENSPIRE HUB BLUE HUB

27/07/2017


NIGERIA Contd.


StoneBricks Hub’s primary goal is to empower a new crop of innovative and creative young men and women, who will add technological value to

every sector of the economy and solve real problems.

STONE BRICKS HUB: ABUJA

27/07/2017


NIGERIA Contd.


The tech hub was launched in 2016 to provide renewed hope for entrepreneurs, developers and

coders alike within Kaduna to launch their innovative ideas. CoLab remains home to about 8

startups, receiving mentoring and resources to nurture their ideas into businesses

CoLab: KADUNA

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NIGERIA Contd.


The Tangent Eco-Innovation Hub focuses on improving capacity employment opportunities and networking access to an exclusive community of

researchers, renewable energy experts and venture capital partners that offer optimal opportunities

towards the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Africa.

The Tangent Eco-Innovation HUB:ABUJA

27/07/2017

SETTING UP TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: LIMITATIONS


Key challenges to the Tertiary Institutional based innovation hubs in Nigeria are two folds: (1) Policy

Despite the existence of a policy framework and programmes by Federal government challenges hindering

adoption of innovation as a key driver for

economic growth still exist.

The Knowledge Access Venues (KAVs)/ Virtual

Libraries in Tertiary Institutions which is aimed

at providing a variety of information resources for

students, lecturers and researchers has not

translated into innovation hubs.

There is yet a policy targeted at creating

technology and business incubation labs at the

university, which must be available for accreditation to ensure compliance with

standards.

27/07/2017

SETTING UP TECHNOLOGY STARTUP HUBS TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: LIMITATIONS (2)

OPERATIONAL

BLUE HUB

At the operational level, the disconnect between Industry and Tertiary institutions undermines innovation incubation .

While industry complains that graduates from Nigerian Tertiary Institutions are not ready for industry, universities complain that they are not getting enough feedback from industry.

This a problem because, often the main challenge for incubation hubs is determining ways to make potential beneficiaries aware of the opportunity and how to take advantage of it.

27/07/2017

LESSON FROM IMPERIAL COLLEGE UK

The entrepreneurship and innovation profile of Imperial College has been underpinned by three

streams of strategic investment.

The first relates to the institution’s approach,

where the entrepreneurship and innovation focus

developed through the strengthening of science and technology research,

alongside a business school that had a growing

international reputation for research in

entrepreneurship

The second concerns the evolution of the

institution’s affiliated technology transfer and investment company, Imperial Innovation

The third component was the more recent emergence

of student led entrepreneurship activities

within the university.

27/07/2017

THE LESSON FROM USA

To build a community of innovators in the USA, TechShop centres,

sometimes referred to as ‘hackerspace’ or ‘learning centres’, were encouraged by law to provide tools and space for

fabrication and prototyping, as well as classes. These labs are equipped with comprehensive tools and software and

participants can make virtually anything.

• It is apparent that the subsisting structures in ourinstitutions cannot equip our students with therequisite capacities to create future firms andindustries that will provide employment and createwealth. We have an onerous tasks of evolving ourstructure to reflect the realities of the times. We knowwhere we are and have gained some insights intowhere we want to be.

• Our task now is to develop a roadmap that will take usfrom where we are to where we want to be, and to beable to effectively manage and sustain where we wantto be.

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CONCLUSION

• This blueprint must among other things takecognizance of the need to adapt our academiccurricula and training to support the grooming ofinnovative or creative entrepreneurs that will not seekfor employments, but rather, will seek for those toemploy.

• To this end, let us explore the facilities of technologystartup initiatives, let us integrate technology startuphubs as extensions of our tertiary institutions.

27/07/2017 43

CONCLUSION (Contd.)

27/07/2017

THANK

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