The renewed Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) initiative of the federal government looks promising with the potential to check rising unemployment level and multiple other challenges, if it is well implemented. The scheme can also be deployed to tackle poverty, reduce the number of young Nigerians being exposed to recruitment for criminal activities and set millions of them on the path to making meaningful contribution to national economic development,

The programme which was formally launched on May 30 under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu has reportedly recorded over 13 million applications nationwide while 16,000 accredited centres are being equipped cross Nigeria for implementation purpose in partnership with some leading industrial and manufacturing firms in the country. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa pointed out that the involvement of operators in the private sector is to strengthen the quality, reach and sustainability of the training. Alausa is said to have written letters to the manufacturers to announce the launch of the TVET as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the long-standing skills gap and to reposition the workforce to close it. Among the invited companies are Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company, Dangote Cement, Julius Berger, MTN, Airtel, Oando,

Transcorp, Marriot, Eko Hotels, TotalEnergies, Obasanjo Farm, RT Briscoe, Dantata Organisation, and Nord Motors.
Training activities are underway across the 1600 centres to equip young Nigerians with practical and industry-relevant competences in the primary sectors such as manufacturing, construction, energy, automotive services, technology and digital economy.

In his letter to the companies, Alausa listed specific areas of partnership as provision of company’s suitable facilities for use as accredited training centres; technical support and expert input to enhance curriculum content and industry alignment; knowledge exchange initiatives to improve instructional quality and trainer capacity; and facilitation of industrial attachment, work placement and other experiential learning pathways for the trainers.

Indeed, as a developing country with eye on industrialisation, Nigeria needs to lay a solid foundation for the ideal by building a workforce that is relevant to its realisation. For a long time, the country has suffered worrisome gap in the relevant and quality skills required to put it on the path to industrialisation, a situation that has led to engagement of many expatriates to take up thousands of jobs that should be meant for Nigerians.

TVET is obviously an investment in youth development, particularly to bequeath to the young Nigerians the skills that will make them contribute significantly to national development. Some countries, including Singapore, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, South Korea, and United States, have over the years made conscious efforts through robust educational and vocational training systems to ensure that their youth populations are well equipped for the labour market. These efforts have reportedly led to high employment rates and substantial contributions of their young citizens to economic growth. Reports indicate that these countries now rank higher in several youth and human capital indices, excelling in education, employment opportunities, and a highly competitive, skilled workforce.

But beyond that, the government perceives intervention in skill acquisition programmes as a strategy to prevent the youths from being recruited by criminal gangs to indulge in criminal acts as a result of their inability to get employment. TVET should not be a political game to win support. Government should faithfully implement the programme, and in a way that will manifestly impact on the wellbeing of the trainees as well as national development aspirations.

The idea of revitalising technical and vocational training for a developing country like Nigeria is laudable because it forms the foundation of skilled workforce that boosts productivity, innovation, and profitability of businesses, among other benefits, which enhance national economic development. But this is an initiative that could be left for the states and local governments to implement. The Federal Government should not overburden itself with tasks that can easily be carried out by the lower levels of government and in a way that will broaden the reach and enhance realisation of the set goal. The 1600 centres will not be enough for the training in which millions of Nigerian youths are expected to participate. The states and local governments should be involved and thousands of more centres should be accredited across the country for the scheme.

What will count as success of the programme is not only the number of trainees that are able to get employed directly by either the government or private businesses but also the number of other enrolees that are able to establish themselves as independent practitioners and thrive in the different areas in which they have received training. The initiative should include equipping the trainees with necessary and modern tools for successful practice that will make them become self-reliant and employers of labour. The government should encourage the skilled youths by creating enabling environment for private practice, patronising the services they provide, and providing opportunities for retraining as new developments unfold in the various professional fields that compel upgrading of knowledge.

So long as Nigeria is desirous of development and committed to creating employment opportunities for the millions of jobless youths, TVET should not be allowed to die like some similar programmes in the past. Part of the way to achieve sustainability is by devising means of attracting the youths to the scheme. This could be through advocacy that will involve relevant government institutions, including ministries of information and the National Orientation Agency (NOA); traditional and religious institutions and civil society groups.

Besides, the implementation of the scheme should be corruption-free. Diversion of money meant for the training into private pockets, unnecessary bureaucracy and lack of transparency will swiftly spell doom for any such good initiative. Above all, there must be strong political will to ensure that TVET achieves the set objectives.