by Dr Kelechi Ekuma, Senior Lecturer in Management, Governance and Development and GDI Employability Lead

Higher education can transform a person’s life prospects, broaden their horizons and equip them with the knowledge they need to pursue an exciting and fulfilling career. However, even the most academically accomplished graduates can struggle to take their first steps in the world of work due to a problem known as the “skills gap”.

Concerning employers, graduates, and institutions alike, the skills gap describes the disconnect between what students learn in the classroom and what the professional world expects of them. As the world adapts to emerging challenges, it’s not enough for graduates to possess knowledge about their field; they must be able to apply this knowledge to dynamic and complex situations. As Jade Blue notes in a recent blog, “the rate of change of what we need to know and be able to do is accelerating”, so “it is essential that our learners continue to grow their employability skills through professional development and management”.

So, what can higher education providers do to bridge the skills gap? Career development experts such as Michael Healy advocate pedagogical approaches that integrate careers and employability learning, while the broader literature on alumni and employer engagement highlights the value of regularly connecting students with employers and alumni to enhance their professional networks and teach them about challenges affecting their chosen sector.

Building on such insights, we’ve established the GDI Professional Futures Series, a structured series of conversations with real-world practitioners, leaders, and alumni. Designed to complement our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the aim of the series is threefold:

1. Bridge the theory-practice divide by enabling students to hear, question, and reflect with individuals who have operated at the intersection of policy, governance, industry, and development.
2. Develop students’ professional identity and agency by exposing them to a range of career trajectories, decision-making processes, leadership challenges and networks that are rarely addressed by standard curricula.
3. Strengthen networks and pathways by actively mobilising our alumni, advisory board members, and practitioners in the field to become part of our students’ employability ecosystem, in line with good-practice frameworks on alumni engagement.

One could argue that universities have long taught what to know; the challenge now is teaching how to be, how to act, and how to lead.

 

Launch Event: Setting the Tone

Given the pressing need to bridge theory and practice, it was with great excitement that we launched the first instalment of the Professional Futures Series on 12 November 2025, under the theme, Leadership, Governance and Professional Skills for Development Practice. We were delighted to host dozens of undergraduate and postgraduate students, colleagues, alumni and external guests for what proved to be a highly interactive and illuminating session.

Our guest speaker was Dr Kelechi Eric Igwe, who served as Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Nigeria (2015–2023) and currently serves on the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority. His background spans public administration, law, policy formulation and mediation, making him uniquely placed to speak to the leadership challenges of public governance in a developing context.

In his address, Dr Igwe explored the topic: “Public Sector Leadership and Governance in a Developing Context: Skills for the Next Generation of Development Professionals”. He drew from his lived experience of state governance, infrastructure reform, stakeholder negotiation and ethical accountability. The Q&A discussion was lively: students asked penetrating questions about resilience in public service, the interplay of politics and administration, and the transferable skills that matter most. The room was engaged, reflective and visibly energised.

Following the event, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Students noted that the session helped them see professional practice in a new light and gave them concrete reflections on how they might chart their own pathways. One attendee commented: “It was incredibly helpful to hear from someone who has made decisions at a senior level and to ask what kinds of leadership habits matter in developing economies.” Another said: “The network opportunity was just as valuable as the talk itself”. A third participant noted: “The topic addressed expanded my view on public sector leadership and governance vis-à-vis skills for future development professionals.”

We were also honoured to host Senator Dayo Adedeye, Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and former Nigerian Minister for Works. Senator Adedeye briefly shared insights from his own experience in governance, emphasising the centrality of strong and resilient institutions as the bedrock of sustainable development in emerging economies. His reflections underscored that effective development outcomes rely not only on political will and leadership but also on the capacity of institutions to manage complexity, ensure accountability, and deliver long-term public value, themes that resonate strongly with the ethos of GDI.

 

Why This Matters: Connecting Learning, Leadership and Career

Why invest in such a series? First, because the contemporary world of development, management, governance and policy is increasingly complex. Traditional employment development roles are changing; blended careers across the NGO, corporate, public, and digital sectors are emerging; and graduates need to be agile, reflective and prepared for change. Second, because students often complete their programmes with theoretical knowledge but limited opportunities to internalise how decision-making, stakeholder dynamics, risk, and leadership actually operate in situ. Third, because higher education institutions have a duty not only to teach but to connect learners to the professional ecosystem, and to use their alumni and industry networks more strategically.

By enabling students to meet senior practitioners, ask questions, build networks and reflect on their own professional identity, we help turn “study” into “professional self-construction”. Moreover, as the alumni-engagement literature emphasises, supporting students is not simply about one-off events, but about establishing sustainable, mutually beneficial relationships between students, alumni and the institution.

 

Looking Ahead: What’s Next in the Series?

Having set this strong foundation, the Professional Futures Series has confirmed several further facilitators drawn from our alumni, advisory board and external networks, extending the dialogue into non-traditional development roles, including digital governance, corporate social responsibility, private-sector leadership and youth empowerment, among others. Dates and themes will be confirmed in the coming weeks, then publicised widely.

I encourage all our undergraduate and postgraduate students (and indeed interested colleagues) to participate. Come ready to engage, ask questions, reflect on your career ambitions and build your professional network. This is more than a lecture series; it is a platform for our students to begin building their leadership story, their professional identity and their future trajectory.

 

Final Reflections: Why Should I Attend?

I invite readers, especially our students, to think of the Professional Futures Series not simply as an event to attend, but as a developmental opportunity: a moment of reflection, connection and preparation. Whether you aspire to roles in the public sector, NGOs, international development, the private sector or hybrid spaces, the skills of leadership, management, governance, reflexivity, and professional agency will matter.

For our students, let’s make this series one of the defining features of your time at GDI, where your questions, hopes, and ambitions meet the lived experiences of practitioners who have made the leap from student to leader. Together, we are bridging the gap between learning and doing, ambition and impact, knowledge and action.

I look forward to seeing you at the next event.

Note:  This article gives the views of the author/academic featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole

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