Vice President Kashim Shettima has commended the Kaduna government for pioneering the establishment of a State Council on Skills, describing it as a national model for workforce development, youth employment and inclusive economic growth.

In a letter to Governor Uba Sani, the Vice President, who also chairs the National Council on Skills (NCS), praised the successful inauguration of the council, calling it a strategic institutional response to Nigeria’s human capital and unemployment challenges.

The commendation followed deliberations at the latest meeting of the NCS, where Kaduna’s initiative was highlighted as a major policy milestone in advancing coordinated skills development across the federation.

According to Shettima, the establishment of the council “aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and sets a benchmark for other sub-national entities.”

He noted that by creating a dedicated institutional framework for skills development, Kaduna had demonstrated “a proactive commitment to closing the unemployment gap and strengthening human capital in line with national objectives.”

Shettima further described the initiative as evidence of an integrated vision for economic transformation.

“This milestone is a testament to your administration’s vision of integrated economic growth,” he said.

The VP added that the National Council on Skills regards the “Kaduna Model” as a vital template for a bottom-up approach to skills acquisition, stressing that such a framework is essential for ensuring vocational and technical training effectively reaches grassroots communities.

He also called for sustained collaboration between the National Secretariat and the Kaduna State Council to harmonise standards and scale the impact of ongoing interventions nationwide.