FG don equip 38 technical colleges for free skills training with stipends

Thirty-eight technical colleges across Nigeria don now dey funded and equipped by the Federal Government to run free vocational training for young people, and trainees dey also collect monthly stipends and starter packs to help dem start business.

The National Project Coordinator of the Innovation Development for Effective Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, Mrs Blessing Ehi Ogwu, give the figures on Wednesday during inspection of the project centre at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Orozo, in Abuja. She talk say 20 of the colleges na federal and 18 na state-owned, and say World Bank dey support the effort.

For ordinary Nigerian, the offer cover more than tuition. According to Mr Olatunji Odewunmi, the National Project Monitoring Officer in the Minister of Education office, government dey pay training fees, instructional materials and accommodation for trainees in boarding facilities. Trainees also dey get monthly stipend and starter pack before dem finish, so dem fit leave with tools to set up on their own.

"Every one of them go get starter pack even before the end of the training," Odewunmi talk. "By the day dem graduate, dem fit go home with am."

Attendance dey monitored, and lazy people go lose out

The free place come with conditions. Odewunmi talk say dem don introduce biometric attendance monitoring, and anybody wey fail to meet the required attendance level risk losing both the stipend and the starter pack. Monitoring officers also dey visit the centres regularly to check how government resources dey used.

Odewunmi put Nigeria technical and vocational education and training (TVET) centres at more than 1,000, including about 140 skills centres in the Federal Capital Territory. He talk say the IDEAS Project and the wider TVET push dey work together to widen access to practical training.

At FSTC Orozo, Principal Dr Stella Uhuegbu talk say the college dey follow the revised curriculum 70 per cent practical, 30 per cent theory split. The college get over 1,000 regular students, while its six-month short course dey take more than 1,000 trainees. Trades wey dem dey offer include ICT, automobile mechanics, auto-electrical repairs, catering, garment making and GSM repairs. Uhuegbu talk say newly built and equipped workshops make the hands-on training possible.

Some trainees talk say the skills don already dey bring money. Modupe Osundeyi, wey dey learn catering, talk say she approach one school near her home and secure contract to supply buns and doughnuts. Joy Genesis, at the Zenou TVET Centre in Orozo, talk say she don handle wedding and birthday cake orders within months of enrolling.

One female automobile trainee, wey dem no name, ask government for more equipment and for the programme to reach rural communities. She also urge girls make dem no shy away from trades wey men dominate.

Wetin go happen next: The officials no talk when new intakes go open or how much each stipend be. Young people wey interested in the free training suppose watch out for announcements from Federal Ministry of Education and the colleges near dem.