ADVANCING SUSTAINABILITY: ETHICAL CAREER PATHWAY AUTOMATED SYSTEMS AND PROACTIVE COUNSELLING PRACTICE IN TRANSFORMING NIGERIAN TERTIARY EDUCATION

Abstract The global transformation toward sustainable development as articulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, has intensified expectations for higher education institutions to produce graduates equipped for dynamic, complex, and ethically grounded labour markets. Nigerian tertiary education continues to grapple with persistent challenges, including graduate unemployability, weak school-to-work transitions, and the inadequate integration of sustainability principles into academic and student support systems. This paper advances the argument that embedding ethical considerations within career pathway automated systems and proactive counselling practice is essential for aligning higher education outcomes with sustainability imperatives. It conceptualizes career pathway systems as structured, ethically guided frameworks that incorporate psychometric assessment, internship placement, mentor matching, trans-national learning opportunities, and access to scholarships. This paper adopted a qualitative approach using policy document analysis of United Nations sustainability frameworks, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 4, to examine ethical issues in career pathway automated systems and proactive counselling practices in Nigeria. Data were analyzed thematically to identify key principles relating to sustainability, inclusiveness, accountability, and human-centered career development. It concludes that advancing the sustainability agenda in Nigerian tertiary education requires a paradigm shift toward ethical career pathway automated systems, strengthened counselling capacity, and institutional commitment to transformative and sustainable practices.   Keywords: Sustainability, Higher Education, Ethical Counselling, Career Pathway, Counselling. Word Count: 200