The National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) on Saturday disclosed that 29,260 JSS 3 students wrote the 2025 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) examination held nationwide for admission into Federal Technical Colleges across the country.

The examination, which took place at designated centres nationwide, was supervised by NABTEB.

Speaking at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Uromi — one of the two centres in Edo State — NABTEB’s Registrar/CEO, Dr. Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, commended the Federal Government and the Federal Ministry of Education for the TVET initiative, which he said has enhanced the attractiveness of Nigeria’s technical colleges.

Dr. Mohammed, who was represented by NABTEB’s Director of Research and Quality Assurance, Pius Osaigbovo, noted that the examination was conducted seamlessly across all centres.

He added that only candidates who registered online were allowed to participate, as the registration portal closed on June 12, 2025.

He attributed the sharp rise in the number of candidates to the incentives recently introduced by the Federal Government to boost TVET enrolment, contrasting it with the low turnout in previous years.

“The total number of candidates for this year’s examination is 29,260. Last year we had 7,547. You can see the leap. This is due to the incentives the Federal Ministry of Education has introduced,” he said.

“The Federal Government wants to equip individuals with survival skills that are relevant, that make them employers of labour, and that enable them to be useful to themselves and to society.”

He explained that at the end of their training, candidates would be awarded dual certification by NABTEB, the usual NTC/NBTC technical school certificate, and the NSQ (National Skills Qualification) certificate, which is competency-based.

“The Federal Government’s focus is on skill-based education. In TVET, the programme will span three years, comprising 80 percent practical (technical) and 20 percent theory,” he added.

Mohammed expressed optimism that Nigerians are increasingly embracing technical and vocational education, judging by the massive enrollment of students seeking placements in Federal Government science and technical colleges nationwide.