Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, has said the establishment of the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development will help end Nigeria’s dependence on skilled workers imported from West African and Asian countries.
Alausa stated this on Thursday at the maiden graduation ceremony of 4,050 trainees of the institute held at its Balarabe Musa Campus in Rigachukun, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The minister, who was represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Prof Idris Bugaje, said Nigerian industries should prioritise graduates of the institute rather than continue to recruit skilled manpower from outside the country.
He said, “Industries should come to Kaduna and recruit the graduates of this Vocational Training Institute.”
Bugaje lamented that Nigeria was still importing skilled workers, including welders, scaffolders, integrity testers and other construction professionals, from ECOWAS countries and Asia despite the availability of young Nigerians capable of acquiring the required skills.
He commended Governor Uba Sani for establishing what he described as a major skills development hub, saying industries now had no justification for recruiting skilled manpower from outside the country when qualified Nigerians were being trained locally.
According to him, the Kaduna institute has developed 14 training manuals covering different levels across its 14 trade areas, which have now been approved for use nationwide.
He said, “The Minister of Education wrote to the Governor for permission to use those training manuals across Nigeria and His Excellency gave the approval. They are now national documents being used across Nigeria.”
Bugaje also disclosed that the institute had been accredited by the NBTE and equipped with modern facilities, describing it as one of the best-equipped vocational training institutions in the country.
He said the institute’s facilities were so advanced that “not even the Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre in Kano comes close.”
The NBTE boss further commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as his commitment to youth empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying the Kaduna initiative represented a major step towards equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and improving their economic prospects.
He congratulated the 4,050 graduates, noting that the NBTE had conferred on them the title of Uba Sani Skills Ambassadors (USSA).
Bugaje urged the graduates to use their new status to encourage other young people to acquire vocational skills, particularly those facing unemployment and economic hardship.
He said, “Mobilise young people, bring them out of their distress and encourage them to come and register with this Skills Training Institute, so that their hopes can be renewed.”
He said the success of the institute demonstrated that with the right investment in technical and vocational education, Nigeria could produce the skilled manpower needed to drive industrialisation and reduce dependence on foreign labour.
