THE Technical and Vocational Education and Training United Kingdom-Nigeria (TVET-UK-Nigeria Limited), a technical and vocational education development service organisation, has lauded the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) for its efforts on skills acquisition trainings and entrepreneurship development targeting job provision for unemployed Nigerians.
Chairman, TVET–UK-Nigerian Limited, Dr Adeleke Adefala, delivered the organisation’s commendation when he paid a working visit to the Director-General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo and his management team at the directorate’s headquarters in Abuja.
Adefala further noted that the NDE has done so much work in the areas of skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development to provide viable employment options for unemployed Nigerians and deserves more support to further drive in government’s job creation agenda.
He went on to call on the Federal Government to place NDE at the centre of its plans and efforts in finding solutions to the employment challenge in Nigeria.
Adefala said President Bola Tinubu has included skills development in the educational loan fund policy of the Federal Government and that then NDE should be allowed to take pivotal role in skilling up the federation while the Federal Government should provide adequate funding.
He further noted that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), in its ongoing establishment of skills centres in the Nigerian universities, should also work with the NDE because of its experience on skills development over the years and its presence in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
He hinted that TVET was visiting the NDE to cement its collaboration proposal which started in April 2023.
Reacting, Fikpo hailed TVET’s chairman for his passion for skills development, adding that academic certificates alone in today’s world can hardly provide jobs or put food on the tables.
He stressed that the only way out is through huge investment in vocational, technical and entrepreneurship development of Nigerians, especially the youths.
Fikpo further said the NDE is synchronising job creation programmes with available funds, financial linkages and bankable proposals to attain success.
The Director-General also said it is heartwarming that the present administration has weaved employment policy around skills acquisitions for blue collar jobs. NDE, he said has keyed into the job creation policies and commitments of the Federal Government by providing an array of environmentally-friendly and marketable schemes with over 100 skills acquisition centres across the federation.
He expressed the willingness of the NDE to collaborate with TVET-UK-Nigeria limited towards combating mass unemployment in Nigeria.
