Abuja- The Federal Government, on Friday in Abuja, approved and launched operational guidelines for skills upgrading and vocational training centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The Minister of Labour and Productivity, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, said at the launch in Abuja that that the operational guidelines were a testimony of government’s commitment to reduce unemployment.
Turaki said the guidelines would assist government to reduce poverty and social menace, as well as promote self-reliance among the Nigerian youths.
He added that “the operational guidelines will set standard for Skills Upgrading and Vocational Training Centres (SUVTC), in line with global best practices with a view to meeting the unemployment challenges.
“The move has positive multiplier effect on growth and development of the national economy.’’
He noted that the objectives of the guidelines were in line with the general functions of the eight training centres in the country.
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“It will reduce widespread unemployment and underemployment of Nigerian youths through training in vocation skills.
“It will also create wealth through vocational skill development and provision of decent jobs to relieve governments at all levels from youth restiveness, insurgency and crises.’’
Turaki, however, called for further technical backup from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the implementation of the lofty objectives of the training centres.
Dr Clement Illo, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said the operational guidelines were developed as manual documents to guide the operations of the skill upgrading and the training centres.
He said the trainees must be impacted with management skills in addition to technical know-how, basic knowledge of book keeping, accounts, safety and health, as well as productivity improvement in workplaces.
Those present at the launch were representatives of the ILO, Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and TVET project of SURE-P.
They all commended Federal Government on the launch of the guidelines and described it special intervention that would build and improve skills of Nigerian youths. (NAN)
