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Vocational, technical training, solution to unemployment — Ondo SUBEB chair

Former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly and the Chairman of SUBEB in the state, Hon Victor Olabimtan, has identified vocational and technical training as the solution to the country’s unemployment challenge.

Olabimtan, who stated this while speaking during a symposium organised for youths and students in Akungba Akoko, titled “Reducing Youth Unemployment through Technical and Vocational Skills”, said skill acquisition programmes would help to reduce unemployment facing the youths in the country.

The former Speaker, who attributed the surge in the crime rate and anti-social activities to unemployment, reiterated the need to pay more attention to skill acquisition as the solution to the nation’s problem of unemployment.

Olabimtan noted that unemployment has become a major problem bedevilling the lives of Nigerian youth, causing increased militancy, violent crimes, kidnappings, unrest and socially delinquent behaviour, saying this is devastating to both the individual and the society, psychologically and economically

He maintained that vocational training and skills acquisition in some schools will undoubtedly reduce the crunch of unemployment and joblessness, which have become a snag in the polity of Nigerian governance

He, however, said, “In order to reduce the level of unemployment in Nigeria, greater emphasis must be placed on skills acquisition through Technical and Vocational Education (TVE).

“No meaningful youth employment program can be achieved without an efficient and effective Technical and Vocational Education programme. The promotion of Technical and Vocational Education programmes will lead to wealth creation, employment generation and sustainable livelihood.

“The primary objective of all Technical and Vocational Education programmes is the acquisition of skills and attitudes for gainful employment in a specific occupation or professional area.

“The need to link training in Technical and Vocational Education to employment, either self or paid employment, is at the base of all the best practices and approaches observed throughout the world.

“One of the most significant aspects of Technical and Vocational Education is its
inclination towards the world of work and the emphasis of the curriculum on the acquisition of employable skills

“The success of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in any country can be considered a key indicator of the country’s advancement in technology.”

He said technical and vocational education and training must play an active and vital role for a country to evolve into a technologically advanced one.

“Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is an education and training to “acquire the practical skills, know-how and understanding necessary for employment in a particular occupation, trade or group of occupations or trades.

“Technical and vocational education providing skilled manpower and reducing youth unemployment, it has contributed significantly to economic development by reducing poverty through access to various income areas, supporting foreign investment and largely transforming attitudes of people to technical and vocational education.”

The guest Speaker identified youths as the direct beneficiaries of any skill development programme and said they should be trained to acquire the skills and competencies needed to lay a foundation for their future.

“I want this to serve as a wakeup call to those who are yet to embrace technical and vocational education as the bedrock for sustainable economic development.

“Technical and vocational education does not only make you employable, but it also prepares you as a business owner and employer of labour.”

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