FG Equips 38 Technical Colleges, Offers Free Training, Monthly Stipends, Starter Packs to Youths

The Federal Government has equipped 38 federal and state technical colleges across the country to expand access to free technical and vocational education, providing beneficiaries with tuition-free training, monthly stipends and starter packs to promote youth employment and entrepreneurship.

The initiative, supported by the World Bank, covers 20 federal and 18 state technical colleges and is aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical and marketable skills to tackle unemployment, poverty and economic dependence.

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 IDEAS Project Centre at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Orozo, Abuja.

Ogwu said the investment demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and creating opportunities for young people to become economically self-reliant.

She explained that the institutions provide opportunities for both formal and informal skills acquisition, with FSTC Orozo serving as the designated federal technical college for the Federal Capital Territory.

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 TVET centres, including about 140 skills training centres across the FCT.

He described the IDEAS Project and the government’s TVET initiative as complementary programmes designed to widen access to practical skills training.

According to him, the programme is entirely free, with the government covering tuition, training fees, instructional materials and other essential requirements, including accommodation for trainees in boarding facilities.

He added that beneficiaries receive monthly stipends and would be provided with starter packs upon completing their training to enable them to establish businesses.

Odewunmi said biometric attendance monitoring had been introduced to ensure discipline and commitment, warning that trainees who failed to meet the required attendance threshold would forfeit their stipends and eligibility for starter packs.

He noted that monitoring officers also conducted regular visits to the centres to assess training activities and ensure accountability in the utilisation of government resources.

The Principal of FSTC Orozo, Dr Stella Uhuegbu, said the college had adopted a training structure that prioritised practical experience in line with the revised Federal Government TVET curriculum.

She explained that the curriculum prescribed a 70 per cent practical and 30 per cent theoretical training ratio, adding that the institution had provided equipment, instructional materials and technical instructors to achieve the target.

Uhuegbu disclosed that the college had more than 1,000 regular students, while its six-month short-term skills programme accommodated over 1,000 trainees across five trades.

The available areas of training include information and communication technology, automobile mechanics, auto-electrical repairs, catering, garment making and GSM repairs.

She described the IDEAS Project as critical to the success of the TVET initiative, noting that newly constructed and equipped workshops had strengthened the institution’s capacity to deliver practical training.

The principal added that beneficiaries would receive certificates upon graduation, alongside government-provided starter packs to support the establishment of their businesses.

Some trainees who spoke during the inspection expressed satisfaction with the programme, saying the practical knowledge acquired was already creating opportunities for self-employment and income generation.

One of the beneficiaries, Modupe Osundeyi, who is undergoing catering training, said she had acquired skills in baking and food production, including the preparation of buns, egg rolls and doughnuts.

She disclosed that she had begun approaching prospective customers and secured an opportunity to supply baked products to a school close to her residence.

Another female trainee undergoing automobile training said she had acquired knowledge of different engine types, their components, maintenance procedures and basic repairs.

She appealed to the government to provide additional equipment and extend the programme to rural communities to enable more young people to benefit.

The trainee also encouraged more women to embrace technical trades traditionally dominated by men, insisting that gender should not determine career choices or limit access to professional opportunities.

Similarly, another beneficiary at the Zenou TVET Centre, Orozo, Joy Genesis, said she had started earning income from baking barely four months after enrolling in the programme.

Genesis said the hands-on training had equipped her with skills in cake production and decoration, meat pies, bread-making, pastries and confectionery.

She disclosed that she had already received orders for wedding and birthday cakes, attributing her progress to the practical approach adopted by the centre.

According to her, trainees were actively involved in production and encouraged to practise the skills acquired even after leaving the training centre.

She said the programme had not only improved her technical abilities but also given her the confidence to take commercial orders and generate income independently.