The Federal Government has commenced technical and vocational skills training for 777 young Nigerians in the Federal Capital Territory, as part of a wider programme targeting about 80,000 youths across the country.
The training is being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education under the Innovation, Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills Project, with funding support from the World Bank.
Speaking at the flag-off of the third cohort in Abuja on Friday, the 1st Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chairman of the ACCI Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology Centre, Prof Adesoji Adesugba, said the programme is addressing a major gap between the country’s youthful population and the skills demanded by the labour market.
Adesugba said, “Nigeria’s challenge is not a shortage of young people. It is a shortage of young people equipped with skills the market is willing to pay for. Our economy does not need more certificates. It needs more competencies.”
He said the practical nature of the programme would enable beneficiaries to demonstrate what they had learnt rather than leave the programme with certificates alone. “That is why this programme is deliberately practical. By the end of it, each trainee will hold not just a certificate, but a portfolio of real work,” he said.
He said the skills acquired by the trainees would provide them with a foundation for employment and entrepreneurship. Adesugba urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously, noting that their course fees, equipment, facilities and instruction had been provided under the programme.
On her part, the Deputy Director-General of ACCI and head of the BEST Centre, Dr Tinuke Temitope, said the 777 trainees in Abuja represented only a fraction of the approximately 80,000 young Nigerians being trained nationwide under the IDEAS Project.
She said the 777 beneficiaries were drawn from seven accredited Training Service Providers in the FCT and were being trained in various fields, including digital and creative media, beauty and cosmetology, construction and building trades, and agriculture and agribusiness.
She disclosed that the BEST Centre is training 200 beneficiaries in digital media production under the programme. According to her, the centre received more than 800 applications following an open recruitment exercise, but had only 200 slots approved under the project.
She said applicants were screened based on their previous experience, qualifications and capacity, adding that oral interviews were subsequently conducted for candidates who met the initial criteria.
Temitope said the competency-based approach of the project was intended to ensure that beneficiaries acquired practical skills they could use to earn a living. “All these 80,000 trainees, the model is that they can do something with their hands. They are not just carrying certificates up and down. They can actually use their hands to do these things,” she said.
She added that ACCI would continue to support graduates through its platforms, including providing opportunities for them to join the chamber and grow their businesses after completing the training.
The seven accredited Training Service Providers participating in the FCT cohort are the ACCI Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology, BEST, Centre; Onidiri Home of Beauty; Gemological Institute of Nigeria; iLearn Learning Spaces; Germnig Consultants Limited; Dari Investments Limited; and Binley and Bramble, in partnership with School Hunters.
The programme, according to the organisers, is designed to expand access to quality technical and vocational education and training across Nigeria.
Under the current cohort, the organisers said beneficiaries are receiving structured, competency-based training aligned with National Skills Qualification standards, after which they are expected to undergo industry internships and receive employment support.
0 Comments