Publish at February 21 2023 Updated February 22 2023
Multiskilling can be defined simply, in the context of employment, as the ability for a person to have multiple skills that allow them to perform several different activities. It is, increasingly, a key criterion in recruitment and even highly recommended. While in one context it may be just an option for job seekers, in another it is imposed through the education system, unemployment and migration.
In the aftermath of independence, Cameroon inherited two educational subsystems: the francophone subsystem and the anglophone subsystem. While the former is known to be a system that tends towards specialization, as students are oriented very early on, the latter is known as a springboard. In the Anglophone subsystem, practiced mainly in the two so-called Anglophone regions, students graduate with a diploma in specific subjects: economics, mathematics, history, literature, etc. In the francophone system, however, practiced in the eight francophone regions, the opposite is true. Apart from technical education, which is more oriented, general education embraces almost everything.
A student who followed the francophone system from primary school to the baccalaureate took the following courses: history, geography, mathematics, life and earth sciences, chemistry, computer science, English, French, physics, sports, manual labor. In secondary school, in addition to the subjects mentioned, students must learn a second modern language (Spanish, German, Arabic, Italian, Chinese), philosophy, civics and moral education. When you are the fruit of this system, several faculties in Cameroonian universities open their doors to you.
A person with a Baccalaureate A4 can pursue studies in law, history, geography, economic sciences and management, letters, sociology, psychology, philosophy etc. That is to say, they are prepared to do everything. It should be remembered that this system is also practiced in several French-speaking countries in Africa. Despite this, the job market is not favorable to them.
The unemployment rates in some African countries are worrying. In Cameroon, in 2021 and according to the National Institute of Statistics, the unemployment rate increased by 6.1 percent. An unemployed person is someone who has learned a trade but cannot find a job in that trade. In Cameroon, there are thousands of them. Whether it is for nurses, primary school teachers or PhD holders, employment is scarce. As a result, thousands of people find themselves working in fields that are not part of their initial training in order to survive. They either train in other fields, through targeted trainings or enroll in other courses, for those who have the possibilities, or they learn on the job. You will find, for example, motorcycle cab drivers, nurses, laboratory technicians, teachers, graduates of journalism schools, etc. Many young people end up in agriculture after having done the same training: they manage.
In contrast to the conception of resourcefulness in the West where the resourceful person is one who does everything to help himself, the Cameroonian resourceful person is a person who does all the jobs that make him earn money. The Cameroonian context, because of its high unemployment rate, forces its citizens to be resourceful and versatile. From a young age, the children of many families work in commerce, the fields and many other activities in parallel with their studies. Despite these experiences, life is still not easy and emigration becomes a solution
In 2010, at the schooling of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities of the University of Dschang, I came across a young Cameroonian woman from the English-speaking part who was keen to enroll in trilingual letters (French-English-Spanish) but unfortunately the lady in charge of receiving the files explained to her that it was not possible for her, as she was a holder of the General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level (GCE OL), a high school graduation diploma in the Anglophone system. This system does not promote foreign language learning. The young student had an opportunity to travel to Spain: this was her main motivation. As a result, the languages learned by young people turn out to be important in the context of emigration.
More and more, many parents are pushing their children to do languages in order to go abroad. This is how we notice a multiplication of language learning centers in Africa. In Cameroon, in almost every regional capital, there is a foreign language learning center. All learners are potential candidates for emigration. Multilingualism would be a good skill to emigrate.
Once emigrated, foreigners have to face the local realities. They are often forced to re-enroll in school in order not only to obtain local diplomas but also to be able to integrate into the host countries. This is the case in France, Canada and many other Western countries. This makes them very often versatile people insofar as before their arrival, they already have degrees. However, this versatility proves at times to be a hindrance to their integration: they are overqualified or overqualified.
According to a study conducted by Boudarbat and Montmarquette ( 2017) and resumed on the
Being overqualified does not bode well for better days. Soprano, a French rapper in one of his songs "Look at me" where he explains his difficulty in getting by in France states:
"I spent my evenings working hard,
Until the day I passed my exams with flying colors,
The pride of the family, I was the beacon of hope to finally get them out of the city,
But despite my resume,
All the doors were closing,
They said too qualified,
I would say too tanned,"
In the background of this statement can be read the problem faced by people with multiple degrees. Again, they didn't necessarily choose to have multiple degrees but it was forced upon them and they now have to carry the burden, that of being overqualified or overqualified. This is one of the worst responses that can happen to someone who has trained for a job. It's a discourse that stands in opposition to the discourse of promoting multiskilling. However, there are workarounds that can overcome this difficulty as demonstrated in Huber Levesque's article titled "Sorry you're overqualified": what is the reality behind the phrase?"
It is important to mention that being overqualified or overqualified is not unique to immigrants, however, it is important to recognize that they often need to have multiple skills in order to integrate in host countries.
In sum, being multi-skilled is not an option for some people. Depending on the context, one doesn't have much choice. This is especially true for foreigners when they arrive in a country or want to settle down. They need to be above the fray in order to fit in while avoiding presenting all their credentials at the risk of being turned down for jobs related to their multiple skills and offering an easier reason for discrimination than that of skin color.
Bibliography
Alberta, 2023, "Guide to International Education - Cameroon," https://www.alberta.ca/en-CA/iqas-education-guides.aspx
Levesque, Hubert, 2019, "Sorry you're overqualified": what's the reality behind the phrase, online, https://www.boldexecutives.com/fr/desole-vous-etes-surqualifie-quelle-realite-derriere-cette-phrase/
Capres,2021, Socio-professional Insertion of Higher Education Graduates, online,
http://www.capres.ca/dossiers/insertion-socioprofessionnelle
Minesec, 2021 , "Anglophone sub-systems", online,
https://www.minesec.gov.cm/web/index.php/fr/systeme-educatif/offre-de-formation/sous-systeme-anglophone
WATHI , 2021, "Quality of education systems in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa - Performance and teaching-learning environment at the primary school level, PASEC, 2020", online,
https://www.wathi.org/choix-de-wathi/qualite-des-systemes-educatifs-en-afrique-subsaharienne-francophone-performances-et-environnement-de-lenseignement-apprentissage-au-primaire/
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