The Nigerian Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education's Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills - Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IDEAS-TVET) Initiative, has trained about 80,000 Nigerians in various technical and vocational skills as the third cohort of the programme expands across states. The National Project Coordinator of IDEAS-TVET, Mrs Blessing Ogwu, disclosed this during the flag-off of training for 900 youths in Oyo State under Cohort 3.
The Oyo training, implemented in collaboration with six Training Service Providers, is part of a wider rollout of the World Bank-supported initiative aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant skills for employment, entrepreneurship, and self-reliance. According to Ogwu, beneficiaries have been trained in occupational areas including fashion design, information and communication technology, agriculture, hospitality, construction, electrical installation, automotive-related trades, welding and fabrication, phone repairs, computer maintenance, plumbing, and solar installation. The programme has also invested in renovating and equipping workshops across technical colleges and upskilling about 4,000 technical teachers and instructors.
Recent flag-off reports show Cohort 3 training is underway across several states: Cross River (1,225 youths across seven providers, covering makeup, hair installation and gele tying, fashion and garment making, fishery and aquaculture, and catering), Benue (1,475 youths enrolled), Kogi (over 1,000 beneficiaries across 10 training centres, covering fashion design, solar photovoltaic installation, and catering and event management), Delta (970 youths, covering fashion design, beauty cosmetology, network system installation, creative media, baking and confectionery, and solar installation), Oyo (900 youths across six providers, split among crop production, computer hardware and phone repairs, aquaculture, livestock and poultry, catering, and digital skills), the FCT (777 beneficiaries), Adamawa (670 trainees), Kwara (500 trainees across three providers), Niger (450 youths and women, covering fisheries, livestock, poultry, and furniture and upholstery), Anambra (420 trainees), Nasarawa (200 beneficiaries in fisheries and aquaculture), and Ebonyi (over 100 beneficiaries in creative media and digital skills).
In Oyo, instructor Dr Folasade Adeboyejo said the catering and hospitality management training covers food preparation, baking and confectionery, food safety and hygiene, hospitality operations, customer service, costing, packaging, and enterprise management. The Oyo programme runs as a six-month training, three months of theory and three months of practical, with the current phase expected to run until January 2027. Trainees must maintain at least 65% monthly attendance to qualify for the ₦30,000 monthly stipend provided under the initiative.
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Ogwu urged beneficiaries to take the opportunity seriously, stressing that the programme's success should ultimately be measured by trainees' ability to secure employment, establish businesses, increase their incomes, and contribute to their communities. At the Oyo flag-off, Permanent Secretary in the state's Ministry of Education, Abiodun Adisa, urged beneficiaries not to despise small beginnings, sharing his own experience of starting a turkey business with six turkeys, and encouraged trainees to use their acquired skills to build sustainable livelihoods.
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