How Nigeria’s growing skills gap impacts unemployment level, by Ikpeazu

Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, has said that skills development is one of Nigeria’s essential ingredients of growth, which drives a diversified and competitive economy.

He cited that increasing skills gap has led to the increasing level of unemployment in the country, where most graduates produced yearly from the country’s institutions are unable to secure employment in the labour market.

His reason being that they lack the relevant skills that meet the demands of today’s industries, which use advanced technologies and production techniques that require workforce with increasing level of knowledge and skills.

He made the remark at the launch of Abia State Vocational Skills Acquisition Training Project. He was represented by the National Project Co-ordinator in charge of Innovation Development And Effectiveness In The Acquisition Of Skills (IDEAS) in the Federal Ministry of Education, Blessing Ogwu.

Ikpeazu, who performed the projects formal launch through the Secretary to the State Government, Chris Ezem, said that the state government would do all the needful to ensure the success of the project, adding that vocational skills acquisition training, which remained one of his cardinal policy thrusts, was fully incorporated in the state’s 30-year long term development plan.

The state IDEAS focal person and Executive Director of the State Education For Employment (E4E) programme, Endi Ezengwa, said that through E4E, hundreds of youths were trained on various skills as demanded by today’s industries.

He said three schools, one selected from each of the three senatorial zones of the state, were upgraded to advanced technical/vocational colleges and that IDEAS project was designed to develop these technical colleges into excellent and technical vocational training centres for Abia youths.

He added that through IDEAS, World Bank assistance will be expanded on helping to improve the performance and accountability of the Technical Colleges in Abia State.

Also, the Business Development Manager of Innoson Group, Obinna Onuchukwu, said that under their partnership with Abia State, 2000 youths would be trained in three years under the collaboration with Bosh – a German Group.

Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Education, Eze Ajuzie, said that apart from training Abia Youths on vocational education, the project would provide support for the industrial sector.