The self-taught generation: Here’s how libraries can unlock youth employment
By Jackline Kiwelu
As a senior university librarian, I have observed a profound shift in how we define a “student.” In today’s rapidly evolving labour market, the traditional model of classroom-bound education is being challenged by a powerful, ancient concept: “autodidacticism”.
This practice of self-education or learning without the formal guidance of teachers is no longer a niche pursuit for the “self-made man”; it has become an essential survival skill for the modern era.
Autodidacticism allows individuals to choose their own subjects, materials, and rhythm.
Historically, this path was often the only route for those excluded from elite academic circles. African ancestral learning was fundamentally practical, collective, and deeply rooted in self-directed interest and learning.
Rather than relying on academic circles of the classroom, formative and summative assessments, native learning methods across East Africa, and probably all of Africa, were in the form of lifelong learning.
As noted, young men worked alongside male elders to master essential businesses and skills like carpentry, building, and metal works, while young women learned the art of homestead management, cooking traditional meals, and family care from their mothers.
Far from being merely domestic or occupational, these gender-aligned pathways were vital socio-economic structures.
They equipped the youth with tangible, specialised skills that ensured immediate self-reliance and smooth integration into the social composition, securing their identity and purpose within the community.
This African ancestral learning model bonds overwhelmingly with modern self-learning (autodidacticism).
Though elders directed the ancestral learning and skills transfer, it demanded enormous interest, commitment, and motivation from the learner.
Knowledge was actively acquired through participation, observation, practice, and real-life problem solving, which was used to impact the community. Learning was competency-based and society-driven, which meant that unemployment was very minimal.
In essence, traditional African youths were natural autodidacts, mastering complex skills by actively engaging with their surroundings and taking ownership of their cognitive and manual development.
Today, the landscape of youth learning has dramatically shifted. Formal schooling often prioritises academic theory over practical trades, leaving a critical gap where informal, intergenerational knowledge transfer used to thrive.
These foundational hand skills are rarely passed down naturally within the family or village structure anymore.
However, the rise of the digital age has sparked a powerful resurgence of autodidacticism among contemporary youth.
It is as if nature is calling for a reversal of skill-based, informal ancestral learning.
Facing high unemployment and mismatched job markets, today’s young people are increasingly turning to digital space using online videos, forums, and open-access platforms to teach themselves the very skills that formal systems overlook.
Today, the “self-learning curriculum” is infinite, ranging from YouTube tutorials on coding to massive open online courses (MOOCs) that provide democratic access to quality education for anyone, anywhere, and at whatever time.
In my opinion, libraries are the natural heart of this movement. Libraries are the future of self-taught workers.
Libraries are no longer just quiet repositories for printed books; they are dynamic learning ecosystems and “multi-skilling engines” for youth empowerment.
Libraries are repackaging evidence-based information into easy to use step by step procedures for practical skills that youth need.
A young person utilising library databases, multimedia collections, and step-by-step procedures to study agricultural innovations or using open educational platforms to acquire coding skills is not just gaining knowledge; they are building a pathway to self-reliance.
By providing access to digital resources and guidance on how to use them, libraries act as silent but powerful incubators of innovation.
However, the path of the autodidact is not without significant hurdles. In many regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Tanzania inclusive high cost of internet, intermittent connectivity, and a lack of ICT infrastructure are challenges.
Furthermore, our own research at Aga Khan University Library, Tanzania, shows that many patrons find online tools like the electronic catalogue (OPAC), EndNote, and LibGuides need librarians to support them in using these tools effectively.
Librarians’ daily Information literacy training activities give users the ability to identify, locate, and evaluate information as a prerequisite for participating effectively in the information society.
As we look towards the future, we must recognise that the challenge of unemployment cannot be solved by formal systems alone.
I call upon our governments to move beyond merely recognising unemployment among youths and invest strategically in community libraries within communities where most unemployed youths reside.
Community libraries should employ librarians with digital skills to transform the library spaces and make them suitable for youth autodidacts.
These spaces must be empowered with stable internet, digital tools, and trained personnel who can guide self-directed learning.
If we treat libraries as centres of autodidacticism, we can transform “unemployment” from a state of passivity into an opportunity for structured self-development and creativity.
The library is a space where a young person can transform time into skills and knowledge into a livelihood. It is time we invested in that transformation.
Dr Jackline Kiwelu is the Senior Librarian at the Aga Khan University in Tanzania
