Skill Gaps in Manpower Development of Journalism in Nigeria

Manpower training and development are crucial to productivity in every industry including the media industry. The role of educational institutions in the production of skilled manpower cannot be over-emphasized. But because there exists a gap in the industry between skill requirements and the product offered by the institutions, productivity would be sacrificed. The field of journalism in Nigeria is experiencing a skill gap between what the institutions offer and what is needed in the industry. This paper examines the causes of skill gap in journalism training and the operation requirements on the field in the media industry. The paper observes that culturally relevant curriculum is not designed and implemented in Nigerian journalism schools. Also the training does not catch up with the technological requirements of the 21st century. While still battling with the fundamental challenges of training in the areas of curriculum development, another one arises: the introduction of digitization to the industry. Indeed, the issue of skill gap will always be there as long as there will be innovations, except that concerted efforts are made by all stakeholders to catch up with the ever dynamic trends in the advanced world. The paper therefore concludes that there will always be skill gap as long as these challenges remain.