Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education NBTE Prof. Idris Mohammed Bugaje, says Industries and other employers of Labour are key drivers for the development, delivery and quality assurance of skills eco-system in any society.
Idris Bugaje who revealed this to journalists in Kaduna, said this was a resolution of the 7th Industry stakeholders consultation on skills development.
“In the light of this, the NBTE in partnership with German international development agency (GIZ), under its skills for youth Employment programme (SKYE), organized the 7th industry stakeholder consultation on skills development which was held on 2nd December 2021 at Tsukunda House, constitution Avenue Abuja”.
He said over 130 industry players, development partners,sectors skills councils ( SSCs), Awarding bodies, training providers, MDAs, Organized private sector and the media were among those that attended the consultation.
“The objective of the consultation was to create the much needed awareness on 21 century skills training system, Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and the need for the involvement of industry in development, delivery and quality assurance of the skills eco- system”, Professor Bugaje added.
Similarly, In a paper Signed by Prof Idris Bugaje and the chairman of the Local Organising Committee LOC in Kaduna revealed that the NBTE is all out to change the narratives from the certification of polytechnics to the vocational system of education where the country can have much-needed manpower with the intention to move Nigeria and the people forward.
According to the paper “only three polytechnics doing the vocational training system of education while the rest are giving out certificate of education. Like in Kaduna polytechnic they are doing vocational education with Fanteka and wary Polytechnic are into oil and Gas welding, so with this we are calling on all the rest of the polytechnics to go for NSQ so that the country will be great.
It also gave an example with Germany as a country that has a system of education where 80% of their schools are vocational education system while only 20% are presenting certificates to the graduating students. This gave them a powerful economic system that have three days in schools and three days in vocational education.
“Nigeria now need over 5000 oil and Gas pipelines welders which makes the country to look from outside the country”.
“Even Dangote refinery mport over 2000 from India because Nigeria lacks the capacity of those that can do the job, with this we are having a big issue which we shall do everything possible to resolve the matter at our hands for better as I know and speaks out”.
The paper says after much discussion and deliberations, the consultation notes the following 20 issues that includes the critical role of industries in skills development, the proliferation of skills certification by different MDAs, weak linkage between industry and training institutions among others.
The consultation also resolved on 12 issues that Includes Collapse all skills certifications into NSQ, Establishing national skills fund. To avoid over taxation on Industries, the industrial training fund is recommended to be transformed to NSF as a new paradigm of funding skills development but not to be a trainer and or awarding body.
The Executive Secretary, NBTE noted that people should know that, the trade test certificate was the least valuable in the country.