Nearly 250,000 Nigerians are undergoing skills acquisition training at more than 1,200 accredited centres across the country under the Federal Government’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an engagement with the House of Representatives Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education, chaired by Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, where he provided updates on the programme’s implementation, funding, enrolment and accountability mechanisms.
Alausa, courtesy of a Statement by Ikharo Attah, his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, also revealed that the latest application portal recorded nearly 1.4 million applications within two weeks, surpassing the 1.3 million applications received during the first cohort within ten days.
He attributed the growing interest to increasing recognition of technical and vocational education as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and economic advancement.
The Minister said the Federal Government was rebuilding the TVET ecosystem to equip young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant skills to improve their employment prospects, establish businesses and compete in the global economy.
He explained that each trainee receives a monthly stipend of ₦30,000, while accredited training centres are paid ₦50,000 per student monthly to support training delivery.
According to him, biometric attendance verification has been introduced to strengthen accountability and ensure that public funds are tied to actual participation in the programme.
Alausa said initial delays in payments arose from the implementation of the verification system, as the Ministry prioritised verifiable attendance records over manual documentation.
He, however, confirmed that the challenges had been resolved and payments to trainees and training centres were up to date as of September.
On the selection process, the Minister said admission was conducted through a centralised online portal, with applicants required to provide their National Identification Number and biometric details for verification.
He added that the allocation of available training opportunities considered geographical representation across states and local government areas, given the limited capacity relative to the number of applicants.
Alausa further disclosed that beneficiaries would receive starter packs and relevant equipment upon completing their training to enable them to apply their skills, establish businesses and earn a livelihood.
He cited tailoring and electrical installation as examples of trades for which graduates would receive tools to begin providing services within their communities.
The Minister also disclosed that the Federal Government was supporting a Digital Technology Academy, which is currently training 36,000 Nigerians in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, information technology automation and quantum computing.
He said participants had access to international learning platforms and professional certification opportunities associated with Coursera, Google and IBM, aimed at equipping them with globally relevant digital skills.
To strengthen the link between skills acquisition and employment, Alausa said the Ministry was improving training infrastructure, upgrading equipment, building instructors’ capacity and introducing a TVET job portal to connect graduates with prospective employers.
He added that education in federal technical colleges and one designated state technical college in each state was free, with the Federal Government bearing the associated training costs.
Providing a breakdown of enrolment in selected states, the Minister said Bauchi had 4,888 trainees across 50 accredited centres, including 520 in Katagum; Akwa Ibom had 5,885 trainees across 57 centres, while Kogi recorded 5,144 trainees across 42 centres.
In Katsina State, he said approximately 1,800 trainees were undergoing training in eight newly established technical centres incorporated into the programme.
Alausa also highlighted efforts to rehabilitate and develop technical education infrastructure, including facilities in the Federal Capital Territory, while strengthening the capacity of instructors through specialised training.
He disclosed that some lecturers were participating in a train-the-trainer programme in Lagos with experts from the Singapore Institute of Technical Education to improve instructional delivery and training standards.
The Minister assured the lawmakers that the Ministry would provide detailed statistics on enrolment, accredited training centres and ongoing training across states and local government areas.
He also encouraged members of the committee to visit accredited centres in their constituencies to assess implementation and interact with trainees and training providers.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Fuad Kayode Laguda, described the engagement as fruitful, noting that it provided an opportunity for constructive discussions on developments in the education sector and progress in technical and vocational education.
Laguda reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and sustaining effective legislative oversight to improve the programme’s implementation.
The Minister reiterated that the TVET initiative was designed as a sustainable human capital development strategy rather than a temporary social intervention, expressing the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding access to quality vocational education and equipping Nigerian youths with practical skills for employment, entrepreneurship and national development.
