Tekademy Set to Launch in September, Pushing Practical Digital Skills to Bridge Nigeria's Education-Employment Gap

Education and technology experts have called for a shift towards practical, transformational learning, arguing that equipping learners with industry-relevant digital skills is essential to preparing them for the demands of the modern workplace.

The call was made in a statement issued on Friday by Tekademy, a new online learning platform powered by Karisit Digital Limited, ahead of its official launch in September. According to the statement, Tekademy was established to bridge the widening gap between learning and earning by providing young people, professionals, and entrepreneurs with practical digital skills capable of translating into real career opportunities, business growth, and lasting impact.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Karisit Digital Limited and the visionary behind Tekademy, Epaphras Adelabi, said the initiative was born out of a deep-seated disconnect between traditional education systems and the actual demands of industry. He noted that while technology continues to reshape how people work, build businesses, and solve problems, millions of talented individuals still lack access to the kind of practical, industry-relevant digital training capable of unlocking meaningful opportunities for them.

Drawing from his own experience as an entrepreneur, educator, product strategist, and business lecturer in the United Kingdom, Adelabi explained that he had worked closely with students, graduates, and aspiring professionals who possessed both talent and determination but frequently lacked access to affordable, practical training that employers genuinely value. That gap between education and employment, he said, prevented many capable individuals from reaching their full potential, a realisation that eventually inspired him to build Tekademy as a direct solution rather than simply accept the existing status quo. He described the platform as being founded on the belief that while talent exists everywhere, opportunity does not always follow it.

Speaking on the platform's operational vision, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Abiola Olatunde, said Tekademy was designed to be more than a conventional online learning platform. She described it as a learning ecosystem built to transform ambition into tangible achievement by combining practical training, mentorship, strategic partnerships, and dedicated career support for its users. Olatunde noted that the platform has been structured to support students, professionals, entrepreneurs, and organisations seeking to build meaningful digital capacity.

Also speaking on the initiative, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Odunaola Salako, said every programme developed for the platform was built with employability and real-world application in mind. She explained that the platform's goal extends beyond simply awarding certificates, focusing instead on preparing learners to secure jobs, launch businesses, create innovative products, and make meaningful contributions within their respective industries. According to Salako, each course integrates practical learning components, real-world projects, mentorship, and career readiness training to ensure learners leave with skills they can immediately apply.

The organisation further stated that learners on the platform will benefit from flexible online classes, live sessions, hands-on projects, expert mentorship, career guidance, and access to a broader community of like-minded professionals. Beyond its planned September launch, Tekademy said it intends to introduce additional learning experiences over time, including new industry partnerships, internship opportunities, expanded career support services, certifications, and mentorship programmes designed to reach learners across the United Kingdom, Africa, and beyond with relevant digital skills training.

In its closing remarks, the organisation reiterated that its mission is to make education practical, accessible, and transformational, stressing that its core purpose is to bridge the gap between learning and earning by equipping people with the knowledge, tools, confidence, and community needed to succeed in an increasingly digital and competitive future of work.

The Tekademy initiative reflects a broader, ongoing conversation among education stakeholders in Nigeria and beyond around the need to modernise learning models to keep pace with rapidly evolving industry demands, particularly as employers across sectors continue to prioritise practical, demonstrable skills over traditional academic credentials alone.