In a land mark development in Nigeria, the Federal government under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Education (FME) launched the Technical and Vocational Education on Training (TVET) initiative on the 30th May. 2025 with the theme: Advancing Skills Empowering the Future.
The initiative, a nationwide program that will equip Nigerians with industry-relevant vocational, technical, and digital skills, is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Education, in collaboration with Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFund), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) and Sectoral Awarding Bodies (SABs), State Ministries of Education for state technical colleges. It further aims to reduce youth unemployment, drive entrepreneurship, and build a workforce ready for Nigeria’s economic transformation. The programme is wholly funded by the Federal Government.
For the training, 25 trade areas are offered, amongst which are Painting, Decoration & Finishes (Interior Design) Floor Cladding, Tiling & Interlocking, Brick laying, Blocklaying & Concreting, Welding & Fabrication, Electrical Installations, Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology Hospitality Training and so on. The trainings, which is free of any charges, can be accessed in accredited public/private training centres and all Federal Technical Colleges (FTCs) and 1 State Technical College per state
At the core of this initiative is the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). This framework, masterminded by the NBTE, establishes a straightforward, trustworthy, and industry-centric approach to skills acquisition, assessment and certification. All learners are assessed under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), and the assessments which are practical and competency-based are administered by quality assuranceassessors/practitioners. The On-training competency-based assessment is conducted by the Sectoral Awarding Bodies (SABs), and the NSQ certification is awarded by NABTEB and SABs.
In the NSQF approved for the delivery, assessment and certification in skills area, a number of SABs were licensed for various sectors. In a bid to define roles and iron out grey areas for all involved in the implementation of the programme, a series of meetings was held by the Committee of Licensed NSQ Sectoral Awarding Bodies of Nigeria with FME, NABTEB and NBTE, which result in the following affirmations.
- That Awarding Body will now be sectorally based (e.g. Welding, Engineering, and Hospitality etc.) to deepen the acceptance and industry relevance of NSQ in the sectors.
- That there will be no proliferation of Awarding Body for sectors. The implication of this affirmation is that no Awarding Body should aggregate functions of other Awarding bodies or sectors to its own. For example, Quality Vocational Skills Empowerment Awarding Body, which hitherto had Hospitality sector as one of its focus, in addition to Education and Care has now been advised to, henceforth, either focus on Education or Care.
- That the Skill Nigeria Ltd /GTE (SNL) basic function is to act as an Awarding Body ONLY in skills areas where there are no Awarding Bodies for the sectors. SNL is to provide interim services and development of capacity for an Awarding Body in the sector. This shall be within a period of two (2) years.
- That every of the Awarding Bodies identified holds the exclusive licensing for their respective sectors. As a sample, the Nigerian Institute for Welding is the sole Awarding Body specialized in Welding, the Institute for Disaster Management focuses on Safety, and the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN) oversees the Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism sector within Nigeria; and so on.
The goals of the FME and NBTE in championing the TVET initiative is not just to produce certified graduates, but a skilled workforce that is globally competitive, entrepreneurial and adaptable. And as rightly pointed out by the Hon. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, ”This is the only way to bridge the skill gap, reduce youth unemployment, support local industries, and attract investments in the real economy.”
The Committee of Licensed NSQ Sectoral Awarding Bodies applauds and supports the Honourable Minister’s unwavering commitment to leave no willing Nigerians behind and that every citizen deserves access to quality education and opportunities to succeed. The TVET initiative is a vehicle to deliver on this promise.
Consequent upon this, the Committee of Licensed NSQ Sectoral Awarding Bodies is by this communication+ notifying and encouraging all Training Providers, Institutions, and Quality Assurance Practitioners involved in the delivery of NSQ for their various sectors in Nigeria to register with their appropriate Awarding Body(s) and also offer their NSQ qualifications.
Signed
Committee of Licensed NSQ Sectoral Awarding Bodies