Dangote heads committee to revamp technical, vocational education

  The Federal Government on Tuesday took a bold step on human capital development when it made business mogul, Aliko Dangote, head of a new committee to revamp technical and vocational education in the country.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, who inaugurated the National Partnership Committee of Government and Private Sector on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), said the committee has the mandate to re-position TVET for development of relevant skills for Nigerian industries.

Anyim, who also noted that a major component of President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda is human capital development, added that government recognises that the only way to achieve the desired development objectives is to develop relevant skills essential to support industrial growth.

Anyim disclosed that such skills have to be made available for increased manpower and industrial growth needed to address the challenges of unemployment, adding that skill acquisition is also a reliable way of empowering the job seeker so as to make him/her independent.

“Rapid industrialisation of a number of countries such as China, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Brazil and many others has been as a result of a well-articulated TVET policy aimed at developing relevant human capital”, he said.

Anyim said the committee is to designate initial pilot institutions for government-private support in the development of TVET programmes; consider the establishment of a time-bound fund for the development of TVET in Nigeria and all other things that would enhance TVET and the development of skills for Nigerian industries.

The committee also has as part of its mandate to develop strategy on improving the effectiveness of TVET in Nigeria; conduct labour market survey to determine TVET needs of Nigerian industries; promote the adaptation of approaches from other environments for the Nigerian TVET strategy.

TONY AILEMEN, Abuja