From Aminu Dalhatu (Kaduna)
National Board for Technical Education-NBTE says it will established six zonal offices in the country to effectively monitor all its technical and vocational training institutions with a view to encouraging vocational skills.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Professor Idris Bugaje stated this when the officials of Katsina State government led by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology paid him working visit in his office in Kaduna.
Professor Idris Bugaje noted that, the North West Zonal office would be establish in Katsina State, stressing that, the Board would also partner Katsina State Government to promote technical and vocational skills.
He said the promotion of technical and vocational skills would be in line with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
Professor Idris Bugaje explained that, the NSQF was a global industrial-driven vocational skills training approach, designed to meet the needs of industries for industrial growth and economic development.
According to him, certification, if acquired, would enable a person work in any part of the world, given the high demand for certified skill labour across the world.
The Executive Secretary maintained that, the board would soon engage Katsina and other states to discuss with relevant stakeholders on how to formalise skills training in the states in line with NSQF.
He described skills as a global currency in the labour market, stressing that Vocational skills is what Nigerians need to transform its economy to greater heights.
Bugaje urged state governments to increase investment in technical and vocational training to reposition the skills sector needed to drive the economy.
In his remark, The Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Yusuf Muazu, said they were in Bugaje’s office to present to him a congratulatory letter from the Katsina State Government following his appointment to head the NBTE.
Alhaji Mu’azu explained that the visit was equally to discuss areas of collaboration on technical and vocational training, emphasising that, there were technical schools and tertiary institutions involved in technical and vocational skills training, as well as a scrap village providing informal technical training in the State that require NBTE collaboration.
He explained that collaboration with NBTE will enable the State to align its technical and vocational training to the NSQF.