NBTE harps on occupational standards for industrial growth

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) on Tuesday emphasised the  need for standadisation of technical and vocational skills for national industrial growth.

Mr Olusola Majiyagbe, Executive Director, National Skills and Qualification Division of NBTE, said this in Abeokuta at the commencement of a three-day training on “National Occupation Standard” (NOS).

The training was organised by the  MBTE and the GIZ, a German Development agency, under its Skills Development for Youth Development (SKYE).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the SKYE is a four-year project tenure duration from 2018 to 2022 which focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills for the labour market. through Technical, Vocational Education and Training to tackle unemployment.

Majiyagbe, who is the facilitator at the event, expressed concern about the challenge confronting Nigeria’s technical and vocational education, saying it hindered the growth of the industrial sector.

He listed the challenges as poor funding of technical institutions, proliferation of illegal technical institutions, obsolete equipment in technical institutions and low societal estimation of graduates of technical institutions.

He, however, explained that the challenges could be resolved through  National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), developed to achieve the occupational standadisation.

Majiyagbe described the framework as  “an instrument for the development, classification and recognition of skills, knowledge and competence acquired through variety of ways by artisans”

Speaking on the prospects of occupational standardisation, he said it would provide policy guidelines on organising skills training to improve quality of products, productivity and competitiveness in both formal and informal sectors.

He added that it would provide  a coherent structure for vocational qualifications which would be based on employment-led standards of competence.

“It will also expand training opportunities so that they are more evenly spread across the workforce meeting the needs of all enterprises more equitably.

“It will also provide system for up skilling and re-skilling of Nigerian youths and working adults,” he said.

The director explained that the agency had in the past 10 years continued to harmonise training standards and train quality assurance assessors  and verifiers.

He added that the agency had approved selected centres as assessment centres and had produced a framework for skill development policy for the nation, among others.

He, however, expressed concern that in spite of the activities of the NBTE at  standardising technical skills, many artisans were still unaware of the process and the prospects.

He said the training had become necessary to create 

awareness on the process and stimulate interests of Nigerian youths in technical and vocational education.

Prof. Joseph Odemuyiwa, Special Adviser to Gov. Dapo Abiodun on Technical and Vocational Education and Training, commended the organisers for the training.

He described the training as part of efforts to ensure that artisans acquire necessary skills required by various industries.

Participants at the training included artisans and heads of technical institutions in Ogun. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)