FG reports vocational training for over 2,500 young Nigerians in Abuja, Niger

The Federal Government has launched a six-month technical and vocational training program for 2,549 young Nigerians in Abuja and Niger State, aimed at acquiring skills as a pathway to employment and entrepreneurship.

The programme, implemented under the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills Technical and Professional Education and Training (IDEAS-TVET) initiative, involves 21 training service providers (TSPs).

The initiative is implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education in collaboration with the World Bank.

It aims to modernize technical institutes, upgrade laboratories, train instructors and equip young Nigerians with market-oriented professional, technical and digital skills.

The Federal Government plans to expand the program to train between 70,000 and 80,000 young Nigerians in various states through approved training providers.

Speaking at the joint opening ceremony held in Abuja on Friday, the National Coordinator of the IDEAS-TVET project, Mrs Blessing Ehi Ogwu, urged beneficiaries to take training seriously and focus on skill acquisition rather than stipends attached to the programme.

“The essential thing is that you acquire a skill. So, at the end of this training, you will not need to go around begging.

“You don’t need to look for work in offices. Once you have a skill, you’re better than those of us in the office,” he said.

Ogwu said skilled youths could earn more independently than those who rely solely on monthly salary.

“You can accomplish what you work for 30 days in a month and get paid for it. You can accomplish it in a week if you put effort into your education,” he added.

He urged the beneficiaries to give their best and make the most of the opportunity provided by the Federal Government.

“I’m sure that if I had this opportunity, I wouldn’t move to work for the government by now, I would have had something bigger and bigger.

“But now you have the opportunity. Make the most of it. Don’t focus on salaries,” he said.

Ogwu disclosed that beneficiaries must achieve at least 65% attendance to be eligible for their stipend.

“We have a policy that you have to meet your 65% to be eligible for your salary. So if you don’t meet your 65%, you won’t get your salary,” he said.

Furthermore, the Chief Executive Officer of Komtek Engineering Services and Consultancy Limited, Eng. Ejoga O. Inalegwu, described the IDEAS-TVET initiative as an important intervention in skill acquisition, empowerment and poverty reduction.

Inalegwu said his organization is training 200 beneficiaries in three agricultural areas: poultry, fisheries and aquaculture, and crop production and processing.

He said 118 trainees were undergoing training on poultry, 48 were undergoing training on fisheries and aquaculture, while 34 were undergoing training on crop production and processing.

According to him, all beneficiaries also receive entrepreneurial training.

“We are in the rural community of Kuchiko Ijah, Niger State, and we are training 157 women and 43 men,” he said.

Inalegwu said the trainees were from the FCT, Niger and neighboring states, including Kaduna, Kogi and Nasarawa, with representatives from other parts of the country.

He said the program has already begun to change participants’ lives and impact their communities.

“Participants’ lives are obviously changed and the community is impacted, giving effect to the essence of the program,” he said.

He added: “The results we are seeing are a testament to the effectiveness of the project.”

Speaking on behalf of the joint suspension committee, Ebenezer Azah Chris said the government cannot employ the millions of graduates produced every year, making vocational skills critical to reducing unemployment.

“I’ll give you an example: we have around 2.1 million graduates every year.

“The government can’t hire everyone, but if they have the skills, they will stay off the streets,” he said.

Chris said the six-month program included three months of training and three months of internship.

He praised the federal government for establishing the program and expressed optimism that beneficiaries would use the skills to create businesses or secure jobs.

One of the beneficiaries, Hossana Gbako Apkhere, who is undergoing training on poultry farming at Komtek Engineering Services and Consultancy Limited, said the program has changed his perspective.

“My expectation is to become an entrepreneur. The training gave us knowledge and taught us how to stand on our own,” she said.

Apkhere said the training has given her back her confidence and determination to succeed.

“Now I have the determination to go higher because of what they taught us,” he added.

He appealed to the federal government to support such interventions, particularly for unemployed youth, housewives and Nigerians in economic difficulty.

Another beneficiary, Ogaba Emmanuel, an Engineering graduate undergoing CNG conversion training at Lanre Shittu Motors, described the program as an eye-opener.

“It means a lot to me. The training has introduced me to many things, especially in the methane sector, which I am already involved in,” he said.

Ogaba said the growing adoption of methane could create job opportunities while providing an alternative to conventional fuel.

“The training helped me understand that methane is here to stay and can also help reduce youth unemployment,” he said.

He added that increased gas use could create economic value while reducing gas flaring.

“There is now another means by which gas can be used to generate economic value, while at the same time reducing unemployment,” Ogaba said.