The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has stated that about 55 per cent of Nigeria’s youth population is underemployed owing to a shortage of the required technical skills needed to operate in the contemporary labour market.
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He stated this while addressing a public hearing in Abuja on Wednesday, organised by the House Committee on Polytechnic and Higher Technical Education.
The Speaker, who represents Zaria Federal Constituency, Kaduna State, also emphasised the significance of technical training and skill acquisition for the youth population to prepare them for the labour market
Represented by Auwal Gwadabe (PDP, Bauchi), the Speaker said modern economies keep evolving through the advancement in science, technological and vocational education.
He said, “The main objective of establishing these higher technical institutions is to expand options for access to quality higher technical and vocational education for the Nigerian youth whose future development is negatively impacted by the absence of adequate provision of access to gain higher educational qualifications in technical and vocational education.
“Available statistics indicate that about 55 per cent of our youth are either unemployed or underemployed due to a shortage of practical and technical skills demanded by today’s labour market.”
Following the emergence of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning and Big Data, the Speaker said theoretical knowledge is no longer enough to compete in today’s labour market.
“We must, therefore, equip our youth with practical skills that will enable them to thrive in an ever-evolving, technologically driven job market and be up to date with the trends in the tech ecosystem.
“The 10th House, ‘The People’s House’, is a responsive institution that recognises the critical importance of technical education as a key driver in actualising our national economic reform and growth.
“It is for this reason that we, through our 10th Legislative Agenda ensure that technical education in Nigeria must not only be qualitative, but also be accessible.”
The Chairman of the Committee, Kayode Laguda, said the bills are important because they seek to promote entrepreneurship studies and skill acquisition to empower Nigerians with skills to become employable, create jobs and excel anywhere, particularly in their various constituencies.
Sponsor of one of the bills, Solomon Wombo, said the proposed Federal College of Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition in Zaki Biam, Benue State, is intended to bridge the gaps in entrepreneurship knowledge and skills.
He said, “This initiative is critical for several reasons. Beyond optimising our human and natural resources for productivity and catalysing social change, it is a key driver of innovation. The bill outlines a skills-based curriculum aimed at equipping students for careers in industry, commerce, agriculture, and various vocations.
“More significantly, the concept of entrepreneurship incubation offers a strategic approach to curbing the alarming rise in youth unemployment and the attendant risks to political stability, social cohesion, and economic progress. It aims to boost capacity and competence in the micro, small, and medium enterprise sector, which is the backbone of Nigeria’s economy.
“The enactment of this bill will not only empower the people of the zone and the country by developing their skills and making them productive and self-sufficient, but it will also address long-standing grievances of neglect and marginalisation that echo from the region.
“By integrating entrepreneurship with technology, we can engage youth more effectively in local economic activities, reduce unemployment, and enhance value addition in the national economy.
“The bill will promote youth self-reliance by shifting the focus away from white-collar job dependency, providing hands-on training in business and entrepreneurship, empowering unemployed Nigerians with skills that encourage self-employment and wealth generation and serving as a catalyst and model for business education and entrepreneurship incubation within and beyond the state, utilising the creativity and energy of young trainees.
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