Abuja: The Federal Government has announced plans to train no fewer than five million Nigerian youths in industry-relevant, entrepreneurial, and income-generating skills over the coming years. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the live press launch of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Initiative in Abuja on Friday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Alausa revealed that the portal for TVET applications would open today, allowing Nigerian youths to enrol for free training in high-demand skills such as coding, cloud computing, and data analytics. He stated, “This is not a projection; it is a mission backed by strategic investments, implementation frameworks, and multiple partnerships.”
Speaking on demand-driven trade areas within the TVET programme, Alausa mentioned that 25 trade categories had been developed across sectors such as ICT, renewable energy, construction, agriculture, the creative industry, and the automotive industry. This development was based on comprehensive labour market analysis and consultations with industry stakeholders.
Alausa emphasized that the reform is designed to be inclusive, decentralised, and collaborative. The programme has already engaged state governors, commissioners of education, sector skills councils, regulatory agencies, employers, and development partners to build ownership at every level. Drawing comparisons with global success stories, he noted that countries like Germany, South Korea, Singapore, and China had long established TVET as the foundation of industrial growth.
Highlighting a Three-Year Technical Programme, Alausa explained that it would be delivered through both state and federal institutions, offering multi-level certifications. Accredited private institutions and skilled artisans will also serve as training centres, ensuring scalability and quality delivery. Artisans involved in the training will be incentivised with N30,000 per student per month to mentor apprentices, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of mentorship and job creation.
Graduates will receive starter kits tailored to their specific trades, tools for electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and others, to help them begin work immediately. The initiative will also include soft loans and entrepreneurial support through partnerships with the Bank of Industry, empowering graduates to start their own businesses. Alausa stated, “Whether they want to work for someone or build something of their own, we’re backing them every step of the way. This is how we create jobs and wealth.”
To ensure transparency and accountability, Alausa added that the government would deploy geofencing technology and National Identity Number (NIN) verification to monitor student attendance and performance. The NELFUND platform will be used to disburse stipends, pay training centres, and manage the programme’s operations. The ultimate goal, he emphasized, is to build a skilled, globally competitive, and entrepreneurial workforce.
Prof. Idris Bugaje, Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), also spoke at the event, stressing that TVET should remain under the Ministry of Education and not be moved solely to the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Bugaje argued for the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), aligned with global best practices, to remain with the education ministry and advocated for a N77,000 monthly minimum wage for TVET students to boost enrolment.
Sandra Aguebor, Nigeria’s first female mechanic, called for more skilled workers to be trained in automotive manufacturing, emphasizing the role women could play in the industry. She noted her association had already trained more than 6,000 female mechanics and urged further support for women in TVET.