Education minister urges graduates to acquire vocational skills

IN line with the diversification agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has urged graduates of institutions of higher learning to acquire technical and vocational skills so that they can become employers of labour.

He said that the present state of affairs in the country called for a reinvention of approaches and acquisition of multi-skills on the part of the citizenry.

Malam Adamu spoke at the weekend at the 2016 Candidates’ Selection and Placement exercise which took place at the national headquarters of the National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB).

The exercise involved selection and placement of successful products of the 2016 National Common Entrance Examination (NCEE) into the federal science and technical colleges in the country.

Represented by the acting director, Technology and Science Education in the ministry, Mrs. Tina Eyaru, the minister urged stakeholders to collaborate in the area of technical and vocational education and training in order to adequately promote skill acquisition and training.

The registrar and chief executive of NABTEB, Dr. Olatunde Aworanti, disclosed that NABTEB had developed teachers and assessment guides to teaching, learning and assessment in the country’s vocational and technical institutions.

Dr. Aworanti noted that the twin malaise of unemployment and underemployment required placement of higher premium on skills acquisition and vocational training.

The NABTEB chief urged parents to encourage their children and wards to pick interest in technical and vocational education and training.