Govt launches operation guidelines for skill centres

THE Federal Government has approved and launched the operational guidelines for skills upgrading and vocational training centres across the country.

   The Supervising Minister of Labour and Productivity, Kabiru Turaki, who launched the guidelines in Abuja, noted that the operational guidelines was also a testimony to government’s strong commitment to the reduction of poverty and social menace as well as promotion of self-reliance among youths through skills acquisition and vocational training.

  “This operational guidelines is targeted to set a high standard for all our Skills Upgrading and Vocational Training Centres (SUVTC) in line with global best practices with a view to meeting the unemployment challenges, including wealth creation as espoused by the President Goodluck Jonathan transformation agenda for the labour sector,” he stated.

  He added:  “The thrust on employment generation involves empowering people by providing for the upgrading of relevant skills to prepare them for decent and productive employment with positive multiplier effects on the growth and development of the national economy.”

  The Supervising Minister listed the objectives of the Operational Guidelines which were in line with the general functions of the eight Training Centres in the country are: 

  To reduce widespread unemployment and underemployment of Nigerian youths through Training in Vocational Skills;

 To create wealth through vocational skills development and provision of decent jobs; and also relieve Governments at all levels from youth restiveness, insurgency and social crises.

While noting that the operational guidelines comprises the admission policy, prospectus and the general curriculum for uniformity, transparency and standardizations, he added that the Ministry and the Technical Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET) of the SURE-P Programme would continue to assist in the development of the training centres with necessary logistics and technical support.

   Turaki therefore requested for further technical backup from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the implementation of the objectives of the training centres spread across the six geo-political zones of the country.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, pointed out that the operational guidelines were developed as the manual that would guide the operation of the Skills Upgrading and Vocational Training Centres (SUVTC).

   Dr. Illoh emphasized that the trainees must be impacted with management skills in addition to technical know-how, basic knowledge of book-keeping, accounts, safety and health as well as productivity improvement in workplaces.

Representatives of stakeholders present such as ILO, Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), underscored the relevance of effective policies, guidelines and best practices as instruments of upgrading and improving vocational skills, apprenticeship, employment creation and economic development.