The South-West has been urged to collaborate and ensure that training programmes for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) are relevant, effective, and aligned with the global labour market demands.

Experts have also emphasised that empowering technical education providers is critical to building a skilled labour market that can drive economic growth, innovations, and prosperity.

This was at the two-day South-West Regional Technical Education Providers Forum, themed, ‘Empowering Technical Education Providers: Implementing Policies for a Skilled Labour Market,’ organised by Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), in collaboration with GIZ Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE II), in Lagos, yesterday.

The Commissioner of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Jamiu Alli-Balogun, stressed that to fit into a competitive global order, policies, regulations, and strategies on technical education must be realistic, marketable, sustainable, and commensurate with the current and future demands, which can help kick-start Nigeria’s industrial revolution.

The event deliberated on the critical aspect of our collective future, empowering the technical education providers to implement policies that boost key labour markets.

Highlighting the need to empower technical education providers, Alli-Balogun explained that the fourth industrial revolution demands a workforce that is agile, adaptable, and equipped with skills to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world.

He stated that empowering technical education providers is a continuous process that requires sustained commitment, collaboration, and innovation from all stakeholders.

Component Manager TVET, GIZ-SKYE Project, Christian Stehling, said the theme of the conference highlights challenges and opportunities that are available in TVET.

According to him, the southwest region of Nigeria holds a unique position in Nigeria’s vocational educational landscape, with each state having a distinct strength and resources to offer.

Stehling emphasised that the synergy of these contributions can transform TVET not just in the southwestern region but also in Nigeria and even the western African region.

He said that effective TVET education requires Competence-based Training (CBT) and the transformation to work, adding that with the alignment of the National System of Qualification Framework (NSQF), CBT ensures that one can standardise outcome-focused training programs that equip learners with market-based skills.

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat charged the South West with collaborating and formulating policies on technical education that would accelerate the region’s technological and business advancement.

He stated that leveraging technical education is crucial to creating a prosperous and resilient nation, equipped to overcome challenges and build an innovative economy. He stressed the need for the region to develop a unified framework for TVET to ensure consistency and quality across the region.

Vocational Training and Labour Market Advisor, GIZ-SKYE, Felix Emamorose, listed the challenges of aligning TVET with labour market demand as lack of industry involvement in curricular design and training delivery, funding, limited focus of soft and digital skills and lack of real-time labour market information.

Other challenges listed were mismatched between graduate skills and employers’ expectations.

To enhance workforce employability, he advocated for training, a partnership between technical colleges, industry partnership and programmes that meet demand of industries and informal sector.

Emamorose also called for increased time duration trainees spend in workplace learning and charged the government to lead in incentivising business to be involved in TVET.

Executive Secretary, LASTVEB, Moronke Azeez, stressed the need to improve the state of technical education in the Southwest to ensure that the country has youths who are knowledgeable, skilled, competent, and employable.

“Our focus is on formal technical education as contained in the national education policy, which provides an alternative pathway for young people. There is huge potential in catching them young with good, solid technical education and training because these students will not become out-of-school children or young people walking around aimlessly,” she said.

Speaking on Enhancing National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB)’s Assessment and Certification to Embrace Computer Based Test (CBT) and NSQF, Acting Registrar/Chief Executive, NABTEB, Dr Nnasia Asanga, represented by Southwest Zonal Coordinator, NABTEB Dr. Adewuni Oladapo, said collective action is crucial to realise the potential of CBT adding that its adoption requires significant investment in infrastructure development and targeted training to ensure smooth and effective implementation.

“Equally important is the need to support the implementation of the NSQF by aligning curricula and assessments with industry standards to better prepare the workforce for emerging challenges,” he added.

According to him, fostering collaboration between government agencies, educational institutions, and industry stakeholders will create an inclusive and efficient certification system that meets national and global demands.