CURRICULUM REFORM, EMPLOYABILITY AND BRAIN DRAIN: A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO TALENT RETENTION
Keywords:
Curriculum reform,, Graduate employability, Brain drain, Talent retention, Systems approach, and Labour Market AlignmentAbstract
This study investigates the interrelationship between curriculum reform, graduate employability, and brain drain in Nigeria, adopting a systems-based approach to talent retention. Anchored on systems theory, the research conceptualises education, industry, and policy environments as interdependent components whose misalignment contributes to the emigration of skilled professionals. Using a mixed-methods convergent parallel design, quantitative data were collected from 270 respondents (graduates, employers, and academic staff in Lagos State) via structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression in SPSS (version 26), while qualitative data from 24 semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically. Findings reveal that outdated curricula, insufficient practical training, and weak industry-academic collaboration reduce graduates’ employability, with 68.5% of respondents reporting low employability scores also expressing strong migration intentions. The study further demonstrates that targeted curriculum reforms, particularly competency-based education, experiential learning, and digital skills, substantially improve job readiness and reduce migration intentions. In addition, supportive policy measures, including incentives for local employment and strengthened public-private partnerships, were found to enhance talent retention. The study’s key contribution is the development of an integrated systems model that links curriculum transformation with labour market demands and policy support mechanisms. It concludes that reducing brain drain requires coordinated, system-wide reforms that create sustainable and attractive opportunities within the domestic economy.
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