ABUJA, Nigeria – The Federal Government is providing free vocational training, monthly stipends and business starter packs to young Nigerians under a skills development programme covering 38 technical colleges nationwide.
The initiative, supported by the World Bank, covers 20 federal and 18 state technical colleges. It aims to equip young people with practical skills, improve employability and promote entrepreneurship.
The National Project Coordinator of the Innovation Development for Effective Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, Mrs Blessing Ehi Ogwu, disclosed this during an inspection of the project centre at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Orozo, Abuja.
Ogwu said the government had equipped participating institutions with modern facilities to strengthen technical and vocational education and expand access to marketable skills.
She added that the programme offered both formal and informal vocational training, with FSTC Orozo serving as the designated federal technical college for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Also speaking, the National Project Monitoring Officer in the Minister’s Office at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Olatunji Odewunmi, said Nigeria had more than 1,000 technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centres, including about 140 skills training centres in the FCT.
He described the IDEAS Project and the government’s broader TVET initiative as complementary efforts to expand skills acquisition across the country.
Odewunmi said participants paid no tuition or training fees, while the government provided instructional materials and other essential support, including accommodation for trainees in boarding facilities.
He added that beneficiaries received monthly stipends and would get business starter packs before completing their programmes to help them establish businesses after graduation.
To promote accountability, Odewunmi said the government had introduced biometric attendance monitoring. Trainees who failed to meet the required attendance threshold risked losing their stipends and eligibility for starter packs.
He said monitoring officers also visited the centres regularly to assess training activities and ensure the proper use of public funds.
The Principal of FSTC Orozo, Dr Stella Uhuegbu, said the college had adopted the revised TVET curriculum, which allocates 70 per cent of training to practical sessions and 30 per cent to theory.
She said the college provided instructional materials, equipment and technical instructors to give trainees hands-on experience.
According to Uhuegbu, the college has more than 1,000 regular students, while its six-month vocational programme accommodates over 1,000 trainees across different trades.
The training areas include information and communication technology, automobile mechanics, auto-electrical repairs, catering, garment making and GSM repairs.
She said the IDEAS Project had improved the college’s training capacity through newly constructed and equipped workshops.
Uhuegbu added that participants would receive certificates and government-funded starter packs after completing their training.
Some beneficiaries said the programme had already helped them develop skills and explore income-generating opportunities.
A catering trainee, Modupe Osundeyi, said she had acquired practical baking and food production skills, including making buns, egg rolls and doughnuts.
She said she had approached a nearby school and secured an opportunity to supply it with buns and doughnuts.
Another trainee in automobile mechanics said she had learnt about engine types, components, maintenance procedures and basic repairs.
She urged the government to provide more training equipment and extend the programme to rural communities. She also encouraged more women to pursue technical careers traditionally dominated by men.
At the Zenou TVET Centre in Orozo, another beneficiary, Joy Genesis, said she had started earning income from baking four to five months after enrolling in the programme.
Genesis said the training had equipped her with skills in cake production and decoration, meat pies, bread, pastries and confectionery.
She added that she had received orders for wedding and birthday cakes, allowing her to apply her skills commercially while continuing her training.
According to her, the programme’s practical approach had given her the confidence to produce baked goods independently and take on customer orders.
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