Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President has said the Federal Government will support and canvass for the replication of International Vocational, Training and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC) Ajase Ipo in all the states of the federation.
Osinbajo who was accompanied Lai Mohammed, the Minister for Information and Culture among other top government functionaries, was recently in the state on a one- day working visit endorsed the IVTEC’s model for vocational training of the Nigerian youths. Osinbajo hailed the foresight of Abdulfatah Ahmed, Kwara State governor, noting that the programmes and curriculum of the college were tailored towards the exact needs of the country.
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The Vice President, while calling for the establishment of such technical centres across the country, condemned importation of skilled artisans from neighbouring West African countries into the country, saying that Nigeria has a huge number of talented youths with an aggressive mind to succeed in trade, commerce and entrepreneurship. He noted that the country had, before now, lacked technical centres tailored around existing talents of Nigerian youths and needs of the country.
The vice president, who said that the federal government would see to it that the college was replicated across states in the country, added that the vision for the establishment of the college tallied with the agenda of the Buhari administration of producing all we consume in the country. He, however, said that Nigeria needed an industrial base to maximise potential and talents of the youths for optimal local production, adding that Nigeria should tap into the potentials of the Nigerian youths for greater change in the country.
Osinbajo, who described IVTEC as one of the major important projects any government could undertake, said that the certificate that the college would issue to its students will be of international standard because of IVTEC’s partnership with notable international organizations like the City & Guilds, London, Alfred State college if technology, US, University of Wolverhampton and Praxis Atlantis. “The vision of the college to give the right type of skill and the international certificate that will enable graduates to work in any part of the world is commendable. The partnership with international organizations will also make graduates saleable to the benefit of the country”, he said. The vice president called on other states of the federation to emulate Kwara state on the project.
Earlier, Ahmed had said that the College was purposefully established to equip youths with skills for self-reliance, tackle unemployment, and ease access to vocational training of international standard for students from a variety of skills and educational backgrounds. He added: “Globally, Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training has been identified as critical to growth, especially industrialization. As you are aware, Nigeria’s previous experimentation with technical education has faulted in the face of neglect and an expanding gap between the schools’ curricula and the needs of the economy.
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“Indeed, we are already partnering with the World Bank to train 17,000 youths identified as vulnerable in the state, starting with an initial 80 students. “Regardless of educational background, IVTEC will prepare students for the globally-renowned City and Guilds of London qualification, National Business and Technical Education Board (NABTEB) certification and other vocation-specific qualifications. “City and Guilds of London certification are especially critical to our efforts to economically empower our youths as holders are employable locally, nationally and internationally. “To adequately prepare students for their vocation, graduating IVTEC students will be further trained at five incubation centres across the three senatorial districts of the state where they will be exposed to mentorship and real-life business situations.
“They will thereafter be clustered into vocation-specific cooperatives and provided access to affordable credit to start or expand existing businesses under our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) scheme. “On graduation, students will also be designated as Master Artisans and be in the vanguard on our determination to reverse the trend where carpenters, painters and builders and other tradesmen are imported from neighbouring countries instead of engaging people locally. This is even more alarming because of the high rates of youth unemployment in the country.
“Determined to reverse this trend, IVTEC’s curriculum was designed in partnership with the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to ensure that the skills taught here are those required in the local and national economy. “In consonance, our resolve is to make Kwara State a net exporter of vocational and technical skills once local needs have been met and thus make our country the hub of vocational skills in West Africa. “To achieve these aims, a strong management structure is required. We have put in place a robust ownership and partnership arrangement to ensure the college’s long-term sustainability.
SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin
