Organisers of the Vocational Festivals have announced that the 2025 edition is set to ignite the spirit of skills, culture, community service, and creativity among young people in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through its ground-breaking preliminaries.
Ossai Ilome, Convener of the Vocational Festivals, told newsmen on Monday that preliminaries for the creativity fiesta would be held from October 7 to 9 in the nation’s capital, culminating in a grand finale on October 16, 2025.
According to him, the event, themed “Showcasing Skills, Promoting Culture,” positions education and vocational training as central tools for youth empowerment, with the goal of empowering over 2,000 secondary school students in the FCT.
Ilome said the Vocational Festivals, organised in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board, will celebrate not only the beauty and charisma of students but also their innovation, craftsmanship, and cultural ambassadorship. He added that these values are deeply aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
“This partnership with the FCT Secondary Education Board is more than an event; it is a movement to reframe how we view education, culture, and youth development.
By recognising and celebrating vocational skills alongside academic learning, we are investing in the next generation of innovators, creators, and cultural ambassadors,” he said.
Ilome further explained that the preliminaries, which will be held across various area council clusters in the FCT, will showcase talents ranging from community service challenge projects and crafts to culinary arts, performance, and cultural displays.
According to him, winners of the preliminaries will advance to the grand finale on October 16, where the 50 best-skilled students will receive the Ilome Ossai Prize of Service.
He said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory is expected to attend the grand finale as Guest of Honour, which will take place at the Cyprian Ekwensi Centre for Art and Culture, Area 10, affirming the significance of skills-based education as a cornerstone of national development.
Ilome noted that the Vocational Festivals also highlight the cultural diversity of the FCT, promoting unity, entrepreneurship, and community pride, while giving students a platform to discover their voices and potential.
“Through this collaboration, schools and communities are being engaged in a shared vision of fostering a future where skills, culture, and education drive both personal and societal transformation.
With youth unemployment and cultural erosion as pressing challenges, the Vocational Festivals stand as a bold statement: education is not only about what is learned in classrooms but also about the skills and values that sustain communities and open doors of opportunity.
The event will be streamed online for broader engagement, with strong youth appeal and brand collaborations that ensure sustainable impact,” he explained.
The Vocational Festivals is a pioneering platform designed to celebrate and elevate vocational skills, creativity, and cultural heritage. Through competitions, training, and cultural showcases, the festival crowns young ambassadors of skill and culture while fostering pride, entrepreneurship, and youth empowerment.
