Stakeholders list ways to close Nigeria’s skills gap

Stakeholders have called for special intervention to upgrade technical colleges as well as seek laws that would mandate polytechnics to engage in skills training to close the country’s skills gap.

These were part of the resolutions of the 7th industry stakeholders consultation on skills development organised by the regulatory body of Nigerian polytechnics, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and German International Development Agency.

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NBTE Executive Secretary Prof. Idris Bugaje, who presented the resolutions to journalists in Kaduna, said there is dearth of skills and certified artisans in Nigeria due to weak linkage between industry and training institutions.

According to Bugaje, the stakeholders had called for a conversion of the present Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to the National Skills Fund, with a new paradigm of funding skills development which, he said, will avoid over-taxation of industries.

“The consultation resolved a collapse of all skills certifications into the National Skills Qualification (NSQ) and the listing of NSQ as qualification in the National Scheme of Service to improve recognition of skills qualifications nationally and internationally,” the resolution stated.