The Industrial Training Fund and the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association are calling for increased government and private sector funding for technical and vocational education, citing strong employment outcomes from their partnership. The organisations said that approximately 90 per cent of graduates from their joint training programme have secured employment or established their own businesses. They argue that stronger financial support, industry participation and access to tools and enterprise financing would help more young Nigerians convert technical skills into sustainable livelihoods and contribute to industrial growth.
The initiative, which began on 31 March 2009, has trained young Nigerians in more than 35 technical and vocational trades across the six geopolitical zones, with 84 organisations participating. NECA Director-General Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde said the partnership was established after a joint survey conducted by ITF and NECA in 2008 identified a significant mismatch between the technical skills available in the labour market and those required by industries. The survey identified shortages in mechanical maintenance, welding, electrical and electronic maintenance, automation and instrumentation. Oyerinde said the partnership had demonstrated the importance of sustained collaboration between government and employers, adding that the country needed to prepare its workforce for changes in technology, automation, robotics, digital manufacturing and cleaner energy.
Oyerinde disclosed that NECA, in collaboration with the International Organisation of Employers and Microsoft, had registered 101,000 young Nigerians for an artificial intelligence training programme, with more than 87,000 obtaining certificates. He urged financial institutions and other private sector organisations to support credible vocational training programmes and provide funding that would enable graduates to establish businesses rather than depend solely on paid employment. He said the future of the project lay in empowering young people to become entrepreneurs.
The ITF Governing Council Chairman, represented at an awards ceremony in Abuja on Thursday, said technical skills were essential to improving productivity, strengthening local production and reducing the country's dependence on imported expertise. She stressed that the true measure of training success should not be completion rates but whether graduates could secure jobs, run viable businesses and meet employers' expectations. She urged employers to provide trainees with workplace exposure, mentorship and employment opportunities, while calling for better access to tools, shared facilities, business support and financing for those seeking self-employment.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment said vocational training remained central to efforts to promote decent employment, improve productivity and reduce youth unemployment. The Ministry of Youth Development called for the expansion of technical training into emerging sectors, including renewable energy, digital technology and advanced manufacturing. Stakeholders urged employers to open their factories and workshops to trainees, provide mentorship and help create pathways from training to productive employment.