FG, World Bank To Train 200,000 Nigerian Youths In Market-Relevant Skills

The workshop was held to identify priority trades that will enable youths to gain employment and become self-employed

In a bid to reduce unemployment in Nigeria, the Federal Government is set to train over 200,000 Nigerian youths in 15 market-relevant skills through the Nigerian Youth Employment Skills Acquisition funds over the next two years.

According to the organizers, the workshop was held to identify priority trades that will enable youths to gain employment and become self-employed.

Beneficiaries, who are expected to be trained for a period of six to seven months, will obtain certification and job placement, as well as receive starter packs.

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According to the stakeholders who participated in the workshop, about 5.5 million Nigerian youths reach working age every year, while about 60 million youths aged 15 to 29 in the country do not have relevant skills for the labor market.

The Director of the Technology and Science Education Department at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Adenike Olodo, disclosed this in Abuja during a one-day national workshop on promoting Nigerian youth employment through skills acquisition.

Mrs. Olodo, who was represented by Deputy Director of the Technical Education Department, Mrs. Stella Uhuegbu, explained that the initiative aims to eradicate unemployment and create job opportunities for Nigerian youth through a strategic training approach.

She stressed the need to identify the strengths and skill levels in the six geopolitical zones, focusing on skills needs and demand.

The Deputy Director charged all relevant stakeholders to help in identifying opportunities for growth, forging valuable partnerships, and charting a course toward a more inclusive and prosperous society.

Speaking during a media chat, National Project Coordinator for the Ideas Project, Mrs. Blessing Oguu, explained that the project started with Idea Projects for Technical Colleges and out-of-school youth.

According to her, “At a point, we discovered that the Technical Colleges are not functioning very well, so we felt in order to bring in more persons and achieve our Project Development Objectives (PDO), we needed a new method, which is the NYESA Nigerian Youth Employment Skill Acquisition. We intend to train for a period of six or seven months, certify them, and enable them to have something to do by themselves.”

Regarding overall expectations from the scheme, she said, “What we expect, if you look at the rate of unemployment in Nigeria, the essence of this is focusing on employment, reducing unemployment in Nigeria, and how do you expect them to key in? That’s why we are funding both public and private sectors. We go on air, we do a lot of sensitization so that the youths can apply. They’ll apply and be funded with a kind of scholarship, they’ll be given a little stipend for a period, and be certified.”

In her remarks, Education Specialist with the World Bank, Mistura Rufai, observed that the national project scheme seeks to have a broader reach, with partners chosen from all the states of the Federation.

According to her, the project not only includes training but also certification, ensuring that the youths get employment.

She explained that the trades get accreditation under the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) while beneficiaries receive certificates that are not just paper-based but based on accreditation, enabling them to work outside the country with those certificates.

On his part, NBTE’s Director of Vocational and Skill Development, Mr. Suleiman Yussuf, explained that NBTE focuses on ensuring this training is nationally recognized and certified through the Nigeria Skill Qualification Framework, which has been approved by the National Employment Council.

Other stakeholders in the education sector present at the workshop called for more training of youths and Nigerian graduates in various skills to help reduce unemployment across the country.

They also stressed the need to collaborate with the sector skills council for proper authentication of certificates after training.