To partner big manufacturers
Over 1.3 million Nigerians have completed application to benefit from the Federal Government’s renewed Technical and Vocational Education Training and 1600 accredited centers are being equipped across the country for that purpose, according to the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
Besides, the FG is now set to further deepen the revitalisation of technical and vocational training in the country, by engaging leading industrial and manufacturing firms in the country as partners in the training.
A letter has been sent from the Minister to several manufacturers across the country such as Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, Dangote Cement, LaFarge, Julius Berger, MTN, Airtel, Oando, Transcorp, Marriott, Eko Hotels, TotalEnergies, Obasanjo Farms, R.T Briscoe, Dantata Organisation, Nord Motors and many others.
In the letter, Minister noted that “as part of our strategic efforts to address Nigeria’s long-standing skills gap and to reposition the workforce in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the Federal Ministry of Education has launched the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET Initiative-one of the largest skills development programmes in our nation’s history.”
According to Alausa, “since it’s formal launch on 30th May, the Initiative has recorded over 1.3 million applications nationwide.
Training activities are already underway across 1,600 accredited centres, Equipping young Nigerians with practical industry-relevant competencies in priority sectors such as manufacturing, construction, energy, automotive services, agriculture, technology and the digital economy.”
In the letter from the minister to the private sector firms, he noted that in order to strengthen the quality, reach and sustainability of the initiative, the Ministry respectfully invites members of the private sector through their companies “to partner with us.”
He listed specific areas of the partnership thus:
Provision of company’s suitable facilities for use as accredited training centers.
Technical support and expert input to enhance curriculum content and industry alignment.
Knowledge-exchange initiatives to improve instructional quality and trainer capacity.
Facilitation of industrial attachments, work placements and other experiential learning pathways for trainees.
The Minister added that the participation of the companies “will play a transformative role in building a highly skilled, globally competitive Nigerian workforce capable of driving the nation’s industrialisation agenda.”
Only few days ago, the Federal Government released the first tranche payments for the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) by providing monthly stipends of N22,500 to over 42,000 youths.
The money covers upkeep/transport, paying training centers, offering free tuition, and providing startup packs for graduates, as part of a massive skills development drive to train one million Nigerians in practical skills like auto mechanics, welding, and more, under the Renewed Hope Agenda.