The Value of Skills Training

Here in the U.S., we engage service providers with skills in various trades on a daily basis.  If we need a leak repaired, we call a plumber.  If we need our shoes fixed, we bring them to a cobbler.  If we need clothing repaired, we visit the tailor.  Likewise, if a student wants to enter into any one of these trades to learn the applicable skills, very little stops them from pursuing those skills.
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In Nigeria, this isn’t always the case.  Finding a skilled tradesperson is more challenging, because there just aren’t as many people available to hire.  And that’s largely because there has been no focus on skills-based training for Nigerian youth.  There is traditionally great emphasis on formal academic training for college-bound youth.  But those who want to pursue a trade have many more obstacles to finding effective training.

But in a recent article entitled “Bridging the Gap: Why Nigeria Needs Skills-Based Education for Its Youth, ” the Daily Trust, citing other sources, makes the compelling argument that “[w]hile formal education remains a cornerstone of national development, it no longer guarantees employability for many young Nigerians. A growing body of research suggests that approximately 55% of youth remain unemployed or underemployed, not due to a lack of education, but because of a shortage of practical, digital, and cognitive skills demanded by today’s labour market.”

​The article goes on to cite several barriers to development of skills-based programs, such as funding gaps, the stigma/perception that pursuing trade skills is a second-class option, and curriculum misalignment where the training that is available is not aligned with current industry demand.

​Africa Education Partnership (AEP) has been aware of this gap in skills training, and we are working with our northern Nigeria partner beneficiaries to help fund skills-focused training programs in both Gusau and Kafanchan.  We have started our Empowerment Fund to assist with these programs (https://www.africaep.org/aep-empowerment-fund.html).  While we are taking it slowly, we trust that these programs will flourish in the future so that graduates from AEP-funded schools will not only be qualified to move on to secondary education but also have the option of pursuing a skills-based vocation.