Should African Tertiary Institutions Teach Remote Work Skills?

A study conducted a few years ago found that over 85 per cent of Nigeria’s graduates have no digital skills.

While degree programmes continue to focus on traditional career paths, global employers are recruiting professionals who can contribute productively from any location. This shift raises an important question: Should African tertiary institutions incorporate remote work skills into their academic programmes?

The answer is yes.

Doing so will improve graduate employability, strengthen institutional reputation, contribute to economic growth and better align higher education in Africa with the realities of today's labour market.

Why Traditional Curricula Leave Graduates Underprepared

Many higher education programs across Africa continue to emphasise classroom lectures, theoretical instruction and written examinations. While these methods remain valuable for building academic foundations, they often overlook many crucial practical demands of modern workplaces.

For example, today's employers increasingly expect graduates to communicate effectively through digital platforms, participate in virtual meetings, manage projects online, and collaborate with colleagues across different countries and time zones. Unfortunately, many students complete their education without receiving structured training in these and other digital areas.

The gap becomes more noticeable when graduates seek employment with international remote organisations or technology-driven companies. They may possess strong technical knowledge in their chosen disciplines but struggle with online collaboration tools, digital etiquette, or independent task management.

Another challenge is that internships and industrial placements are not always available to every student. As a result, many graduates enter the labour market with limited exposure to professional work environments.

Incorporating practical digital workplace experiences into tertiary education can help bridge this gap and increase graduate confidence. As remote and hybrid work become increasingly common, educational institutions must evolve alongside employer expectations.

What Remote Work Skills Should Be Taught?

Succeeding in a borderless digital market requires a specialised or hybrid blend of technical competencies and soft behavioural attributes.

A well-designed curriculum should focus on practical competencies that employers value across multiple industries. These skills should not be restricted to computer science students alone. Learners studying business, engineering, education, healthcare, agriculture, law, the arts and other areas can also benefit.

Here are some examples:

• Understanding digital collaboration fundamentals is important. Students should understand how to communicate clearly (e.g., using email and other messaging applications), participate in online discussions, work in virtual teams, resolve conflicts and maintain professionalism in digital environments.
• Project management is another important area. Students should become familiar with planning tasks, meeting deadlines, assigning responsibilities, and monitoring progress using digital project management software.
• Time management and self-discipline are equally essential. Working remotely often requires individuals to organise their schedules independently without direct supervision. Universities can help students develop routines that improve productivity and accountability.
• Cybersecurity awareness should also be included. Graduates need to understand things like password security, phishing attacks, data protection practices, and responsible handling of confidential information, among others.
• Students should gain experience in building online professional profiles, creating digital portfolios, participating in virtual interviews, and networking through professional platforms.

Benefits for Students, Institutions and Economies

Integrating modern workplace training into higher education offers advantages for both learners, educational institutions and economies.

Students become more competitive in local and international job markets because they graduate with practical abilities alongside academic qualifications. This combination can improve employability and increase confidence during recruitment processes.

Graduates (and undergrads) also gain access to international freelance opportunities, consulting work, and digital entrepreneurship. Rather than relying exclusively on traditional office-based employment, they can explore diverse remote career paths that generate income from clients around the world.

Higher education institutions benefit as well. Those that respond to changing labour market demands strengthen their reputation for producing industry-ready graduates. Higher graduate employment rates can improve institutional rankings, attract prospective students, and encourage partnerships with businesses and international organisations.

Employers may also become more willing to collaborate with universities that consistently produce graduates who require less workplace training. Such partnerships can lead to internships, research opportunities, guest lectures, and curriculum development initiatives.

The broader economy also benefits. A workforce equipped with relevant digital competencies can attract foreign investment, support innovation, and contribute to national economic development. For example, a graduate living in Lagos or Nairobi can secure a software engineering or digital marketing role in San Francisco, earning foreign currency that boosts local purchasing power.

Challenges to Implementation

Despite the potential benefits, introducing new training programs presents several challenges.

Limited internet connectivity remains a concern in some regions. Students in rural communities may not always have reliable broadband access or affordable data services. Without adequate infrastructure, practical online learning becomes difficult.

Financial constraints also affect many institutions. Updating computer laboratories, purchasing software licenses, and training academic staff require significant investment.

Faculty members may need professional development before teaching new digital workplace competencies. Some instructors possess extensive academic expertise but have limited experience with virtual collaboration technologies or international remote employment practices.

Curriculum reform itself can be slow. Universities and other tertiary institutions often follow detailed approval procedures involving academic boards, accreditation agencies, and government regulators. Introducing new courses may therefore require careful planning and stakeholder consultation. Another challenge is ensuring equal access for students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Although these obstacles are real, they can be addressed through a variety of ways, including phased implementation, strategic partnerships, government support, and investments in educational technology.

Examples of Institutions Already Moving in This Direction

Several tertiary institutions have already recognised that graduates need more than disciplinary knowledge to succeed in an increasingly digital economy. Although they may not explicitly label their courses as "remote work education," many have introduced initiatives that develop the competencies required for virtual employment, distributed teams, and global collaboration.

One notable example is the Honoris United Universities network, which includes several higher education institutions across countries such as Nigeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Southern Africa, and Mauritius.

Through the Honoris Online Academy, students complete courses covering digital literacy, communication, innovation, leadership, critical thinking, and workplace readiness. These programmes complement academic degrees by helping learners build transferable skills that support success in both traditional and remote work settings.

Open universities also deserve particular attention because they have pioneered many of the teaching methods now associated with remote work. Institutions such as UNISA and NOUN have demonstrated that quality higher education can be delivered through digital platforms while maintaining student engagement, assessment integrity, and academic support.

Their students develop independence, time management, digital communication, and online collaboration skills simply through the learning process itself. As more employers embrace fully remote and hybrid work models, these competencies are becoming increasingly valuable in the labour market.

Outside formal university curricula, several African institutions have partnered with technology companies and innovation hubs to acquaint students with virtual work experiences.

For example, universities participating in the Microsoft Africa Development Centre University Relations Programme, the Google Developer Student Clubs, and GitHub Campus Program provide opportunities for students to collaborate on software projects, participate in hackathons, contribute to open source projects, and work with distributed teams using industry-standard digital tools.

Such initiatives help students gain practical experience with the collaborative technologies commonly used in remote workplaces.

Recommendations for Policymakers and School Administrators

Preparing students or graduates for future employment requires collaboration between governments, educational institutions, employers, and technology partners.

Several practical actions could accelerate progress, for example:

• Updating national higher education standards to include digital workplace competencies.
• Encouraging industry partnerships for internships and virtual projects.
• Investing in reliable campus internet infrastructure.
• Providing ongoing faculty training in digital teaching methods.
• Introducing optional certification programmes alongside traditional degrees.
• Encouraging multidisciplinary collaborative projects across departments.
• Measuring graduate employment outcomes to guide curriculum improvements.

Policymakers should also recognise that digital workforce readiness contributes not only to graduate employability but also to national economic competitiveness.

For African tertiary institutions, these reforms represent an opportunity to position themselves as leaders in preparing graduates for an increasingly global employment market.

Conclusion

The global labour market has experienced a permanent shift toward distributed employment. Millions of professionals now deliver high-value services across borders without leaving their home countries. For a continent with the youngest population globally, this shift presents an unprecedented economic opportunity.

However, a significant gap remains between academic preparation and market demands. To bridge this divide, African tertiary institutions must deliberately integrate remote work skills into their educational frameworks. This integration is no longer an optional enhancement but an essential evolution for economic survival.