FG Moves Against Unemployment With TVET Initiative

In a bid to reduce unemployment and promote student empowerment through skills aquisition, the Federal Government has offered scholarships to students in Federal and State Technical Colleges.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa who disclosed this at the launch of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET in Abuja explained that the package includes free tuition, accomodation, feeding and monthly stipend of N22,500 to students in the colleges.

Dr Alausa who further noted that the TVET intiative is a strategic effort to reposition the sector to meet international best practices, added that it is designed to attract youths in acquiring relevant skills that would make them uesful and contribute their quota to national development.

According to the minister, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) will offically launch the portal for the registration of trainees under TVET .

“We are gathered here not merely to make another policy pronouncement, but to formally declare a new national resolve, a resolve to unlock the latent potential of millions of young Nigerians by equipping them with relevant, market-driven skills; a resolve to reposition TVET as a cornerstone of our economic recovery, social inclusion, and industrial competitiveness.”

Earlier in her remark, the minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Ahmad said the TVET intiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s desire to ensure no one is left behind, adding that the gesture is designed to encourage young people to acquire skills that would impact positively on their lives and society.

She disclosed that the national target is to train no fewer than 5 million Nigerian youths with industry-relevant, entrepreneurial, and income-generating skills by the year 2030,while emphasizing that this is not just a projection but a mission backed by strategic investments, implementation frameworks, and multisectoral partnerships.

“The goal is not merely to produce certified graduates but to build a skilled workforce that is globally competitive, entrepreneurial, and adaptable. This is the only way to bridge the skills gap, reduce youth unemployment, support local industries, and attract investments into the real economy”

In their separate remarks, Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande and representative of the minister of Labour, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, pledged their commitment towards effective actualization of the intiative aimed at addressing unemployment .

Other heads of agencies, parastatals under the ministry of Education such as NBTE, NUC, TETFUND, and NELFUND, among others, took turns to add their suoportive roles in the TVET intiative

Nkiruka Okeke, Edited By Grace Namiji