FG targets over 70,000 youths with skills training

The Federal Government says it is on course to train more than 70,000 Nigerian youths in market-relevant vocational and technical skills under the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project. The National Project Coordinator of the IDEAS Project, Mrs. Blessing Ehi Ogwu, disclosed this during a three-day capacity-building workshop for key […]

The Federal Government says it is on course to train more than 70,000 Nigerian youths in market-relevant vocational and technical skills under the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project.

The National Project Coordinator of the IDEAS Project, Mrs. Blessing Ehi Ogwu, disclosed this during a three-day capacity-building workshop for key staff of the IDEAS-Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Initiative and Training Service Providers (TSPs) across Northern Nigeria.

Ogwu said the project, supported by the World Bank, has expanded significantly since its pilot phase, which engaged 11 Training Service Providers (TSPs) and graduated 1,050 trainees.

“We started gradually with a pilot involving just 11 Training Service Providers that graduated 1,050 trainees. Today, we are on Cohort Three and expect to have trained over 70,000 beneficiaries,” she said.

According to her, the programme later scaled up through subsequent cohorts, with 90 TSPs graduating over 14,000 trainees in one batch and 217 TSPs producing more than 22,000 graduates in another.

She explained that the ongoing Cohort Three has engaged over 400 TSPs and is expected to graduate more than 40,000 trainees.

“For this current batch, we have over 400 Training Service Providers, and we are expecting more than 40,000 trainees to graduate,” Ogwu said.

The National Project Coordinator said the government has put in place a robust monitoring mechanism to ensure quality training across participating centres.

“Quality is a priority for us. Beyond our internal monitoring, we have independent Project Monitoring Officers in every state to ensure that training is not only taking place but is being delivered to the required standard,” she said.

She added that officials from the IDEAS Project Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and the World Bank also conduct regular and surprise monitoring visits to training centres.

Ogwu explained that Training Service Providers undergo a rigorous selection process, including an expression of interest, proposal evaluation and physical verification of facilities before they are engaged.

“A good proposal alone is not enough. We carry out due diligence and physically verify that training providers have the facilities required to deliver quality training before they are engaged,” she stated.

She further revealed that one of the conditions for Training Service Providers to receive their final tranche of payment is that between 30 and 40 per cent of trainees must either secure employment or become self-employed.

“Employment does not necessarily mean a government job. We want beneficiaries to acquire skills that enable them to become self-reliant, which is why we are also providing start-up packs for those who choose self-employment,” she said.

Highlighting the project’s impact, Ogwu said many beneficiaries of the pilot phase are already gainfully employed or successfully running their own businesses.

She cited the example of a training centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where about 100 trainees received training in pipeline welding and fabrication, with an oil company retaining 24 of them after their industrial attachment.

“The impact is already evident. Many of our beneficiaries are employed, while others have established successful businesses. Our goal is to equip Nigerian youths with practical skills that will enable them to create opportunities for themselves and contribute meaningfully to the economy,” she said.

Also speaking, the Director of Binley and Bramble Limited and Founder of the School Hunters Initiative, Dr. Olushola Okpodu, described the IDEAS-TVET initiative as a timely intervention in addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria.

“This is a fantastic initiative considering the fact that millions of Nigerian youths are unemployed. We are grateful and privileged to have been selected as one of the Training Service Providers for Cohort Three,” she said.

Okpodu noted that although it was her organisation’s first time participating in the programme, feedback from previous implementing partners showed that the current phase is better coordinated.

“From what I have heard from other implementing partners, Cohort Three is more organised and more structured, and I believe it will deliver even greater impact,” she added.

She said the programme had generated considerable interest among young Nigerians, many of whom were beginning to see vocational and technical skills as viable alternatives to white-collar employment.

“Many young people have tried their best to secure white-collar jobs without success. This programme is encouraging them to look inwards and embrace blue-collar opportunities where they can build sustainable careers and businesses,” she said.

Encouraging beneficiaries to make the most of the opportunity, Okpodu, who is also a certified artisan in leatherworks and fashion design despite holding a PhD in Communications, urged youths to change their perception of vocational careers.

“Every youth selected for this programme should take it seriously. White-collar jobs are not always available, and they do not always pay as much. As an artisan, I can assure you that you can become a multimillionaire in less than a year if you are skilled, committed and entrepreneurial,” she said.