The traditional career ladder is splintering. A new paradigm for success is emerging, one where agility, practical skill, and real-world experience are rapidly overtaking academic pedigree as the primary currency for career advancement.
I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of Zambia’s most accomplished business leaders. One common thread in their journeys? They rarely followed a straight line. Many zigzagged between roles, industries, and even careers, often succeeding not because of what they studied, but because of what they could do. Increasingly, skill is proving more valuable than status.
This reality is starting to shape hiring trends in Zambia. Employers, especially in fast-changing sectors, are beginning to place greater emphasis on real-world ability, agility, and experience rather than purely on academic credentials. The shift has the potential to open new doors for talented Zambians who may not have pursued a university education or a specific specialisation.
The Rise of Skills-Based Hiring
Globally, major employers are loosening degree requirements. IBM reports that more than half of its U.S. job postings no longer require a bachelor’s degree, while PwC UK has scrapped its strict 2:1 degree-classification filter. At Google, many listings now emphasise “equivalent practical experience” alongside academic qualifications, supported by certificate pathways.
A 2023 Deloitte study found that organisations adopting a skills-first approach are 63% more likely to achieve strong results across business outcomes, and 57% more likely to anticipate future skill needs. Crucially, they are 98% more likely to retain high performers, which is evidence that focusing on capability yields significant benefits.
In Zambia, the ICT sector illustrates this demand. The country’s information and communication industry grew by 15.9% in 2023 and a further 17.4% in 2024 (preliminary), far outpacing the supply of formally trained graduates. Employers are turning to portfolios, certifications, and practical projects to fill the gap.
The picture is similar in transportation and storage, which accounted for around 11.8% of GDP in Q2 2023. Many operational roles—from dispatch to fleet coordination—are staffed by people who learned on the job or completed short courses, rather than holding logistics degrees.
Marketing and media have also evolved: content creators, social media managers, and video editors are now hired based on their output and portfolios. These fast-growing roles sit largely outside Zambia’s traditional secondary and tertiary curricula, yet they are becoming indispensable to modern businesses.
Real People, Real Results
Take Mwansa Zulu, a Lusaka-based UI/UX designer. After failing to secure a university place, she taught herself design through free online courses and constant client feedback. “I realised my portfolio spoke louder than any transcript,” she says. Today, she earns in USD working remotely for a European tech startup and mentors young creatives through her community collective.
Another example is Chimuka Banda, who began as a cashier in a retail store. Her people skills and sharp memory landed her a customer success role at a fintech firm, despite not having a degree. She now manages client accounts and trains new staff.
Transferable Skills, Everywhere You Go
The most exciting insight from this shift is that skills are portable. Once upon a time, ‘adaptable’ would appear alongside other soft skills such as ‘hardworking.’ Today, the ability to adapt to changing situations is a highly sought-after skill that can be leveraged and tailored to specific job requirements.
If you work in retail, you’d understand customer needs, sales psychology, and conflict resolution. If you managed a home business, then you’ve mastered budgeting, procurement, and time management. Edited your church’s bulletin or a friend’s podcast? You now have content creation experience.
The key is in reframing and repackaging, understanding what you’ve done, how it adds value, and how it applies to new opportunities.
Learning Beyond the Lecture Hall
Platforms like Coursera, Google Certificates, and LinkedIn have democratised learning. According to a 2024 report by the Higher Education Authority of Zambia, reportedly over 60,000 Zambians have enrolled in online professional development courses in the past two years.
Meanwhile, local hubs like BongoHive, Jacaranda Hub, and Asikana Network are training young people in coding, digital marketing, design, and entrepreneurship, skills that employers are actively seeking.
These pathways are fast, focused, and often more relevant than university curricula. And because they’re project-based, they create bodies of work; tangible proof to potential employers of what someone is capable of, without the uncertainty that surrounds a fresh graduate’s capabilities.
Building Credibility Without Formal Training
That said, challenges persist.
University degrees are used as a filter, sometimes due to policy, other times due to unconscious bias. Job ads may state “degree preferred” when the role doesn’t require one. And without alum networks or mentorship structures, self-taught professionals may struggle to access high-level roles or promotions.
This is where personal branding becomes critical.
A strong LinkedIn profile, an up-to-date portfolio, and a clear summary of skills and past work are tools that allow professionals without degrees to tell their story, demonstrate value, and command attention.
As more Zambians build careers as freelancers, consultants, or remote employees, online presence is no longer optional; it’s currency.
Forward-Thinking Hiring Processes
Encouragingly, some Zambian employers are already adapting to these changes. In fintech and logistics, especially, companies are beginning to prioritise practical experience over paper qualifications. Startups, in particular, often rely on assessments, simulations, and trial projects to gauge ability, rather than relying solely on degree requirements.
Broader change, however, will require policy reform. Government institutions and parastatals remain tied to legacy systems that equate formal education with competence, shutting out a large pool of skilled but non-degreed talent.
The private sector has the flexibility to lead. By embracing skills-based hiring, businesses can unlock a workforce that is eager, capable, and often more adaptable.
Ultimately, this shift is not about downplaying education; it’s about expanding access to education. Formal education remains valuable. But it must coexist with alternative paths to success.
As we build Zambia’s future workforce, we must ask: are we hiring for prestige or for performance? The future is digital, remote, and adaptable, and the workforce of tomorrow must be agile enough to meet these challenges.
