Vocational training key to economic development – stakeholders

Lagos, Dec  5, 2019

Stakeholders at a workshop organised by the Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) to launch the Dual Vocational Training (DVT) last Thursday in Lagos said vocational training was critical to the economic development of the country.

The stakeholders were drawn from government agencies, the German Consulate, private sector organisations and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.

The SKYE programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

In his address of welcome, Dr Stefan Trauman, Consul General, German Consulate General, Lagos, said the last phase of DVT was a huge success.

Citing a World Bank economic report, Trauman said that over 133.4 million Nigerians were living below the poverty line; 56 per cent of this population being youths who were either unemployed or underemployed.

He said that based on projections, the population of Nigeria in 2050 would be an estimated 400 million, with the population of people living in poverty also expected to increase.

According to him, with the growing numbers of people being added to the labour market, it is evident that education is critical in turning the fortunes of the young population in Nigeria.

“Young people are a big asset in Nigeria, you have to educate and create jobs for them.

“Skilled labour is needed in Nigeria and technical training has to be given more value in the country,’’ Trauman said.

The Consul General expressed the desire of Germany to partner with Nigeria for more value addition in the area of vocational training.

Also speaking at the event, Mr Felix Nitz, Team Leader, SKYE Cooperative Vocational Training, said the project was part of the German government’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of DVT were inculcated in Nigeria.

“We believe in poverty alleviating support through sustainable economic development of our partners like Nigeria.

“The development of TVET in Nigeria shall contribute to the upskilling of youths in construction trades such as plumbing, masonry, carpentry and in other sectors which will increase youth employability and match labour market demands,” Nitz said.

He said the DVT project, which would be implemented in partnership with Sequa GmbH, was an offshoot of the DVT projects coordinated by Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) Giessen- Friedberg and AHK Nigeria between 2012 and 2018 and implemented in Lagos, Abuja and Abeokuta.

The team leader said the previous phase of the project targeted Business Membership Organisations (BMO) and their members with training centres as intermediaries.

“The project recorded several positive outcomes which included raising the profile of and demand for DVT in Nigeria and a high completion rate of 84 per cent.

The event provided a platform for stakeholders to engage in essentials of technical education for youth employment, employability and improvement on the level of vocational training and skills in Nigeria.

SKYE is a four-year programme which focuses  on the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the labour market through TVET, to tackle employment and underemployment.

SKYE promotes public and private stakeholder dialogues about TVET and supports Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).