The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has urged stakeholders to empower Nigerian youths with vocational skills in line with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
The board gave the admonition in a statement to commemorate the 2021 World Youth Skills Day, signed by its Head of Media, Ms Fatima Abubakar and made available to journalists in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The board said that Nigeria has huge skills gaps and urged relevant stakeholders to embrace the NSQF to bridge the gaps.
It described the NSQF as a “system for the development, classification and recognition of skills, knowledge and competence acquired by individuals,” irrespective of where and how the training or skill was acquired.
“As such, NBTE will join the rest of the world on July 15, to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.
“We are saddled with the responsibility of coordinating and regulating Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the country.
“Therefore, as part of activities to mark the world youth skills day, staff of NBTE Centre of Excellence will visit the Panteka Skill Market, Kaduna, to interact with the youth about the situation of work during and after COVID –19 pandemic,” the board said.
It added that the interaction would provide an opportunity for dialogue among young people, TVET institutions, firms, employers, workers, organisations, policy makers and development partners.
This, according to the NBTE, will enhance skills acquisition for youths in the county to be self-reliant.
“This will enable the board to reflect on how TVET stakeholders can collaborate and help reconcile the short-term need for economic recovery with urgency in accelerating the transition to sustainable development.”
The United Nations General Assembly had in 2014 set aside July 15 of every year to commemorate the World Youth Skills Day.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Re-imaging Youth Skills Post-Pandemic.”
The theme was selected to assess the situation of young people regarding skills and work during and after COVID –19 pandemic.
It was equally designed to learn how young people have been living through the crisis, highlight stories of youth innovation and resilience and debate on prospects for skills development in economic recovery.