TVET Essential for Job Creation, Says FUT Minna Professor

During the 131st Lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Professor Emmanuel Raymond, a Professor of Industrial and Technology Education, identified Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as crucial for combating unemployment, reducing insecurity, and fostering economic growth in Nigeria. He criticized the nation's focus on paper certificates over practical skills, which has resulted in over 10 million unemployed youths and 700,000 jobless university graduates.

Raymond pointed out that 80% of the workforce operates in the informal sector without formal certification. He argued that the education system's theoretical nature fails to equip graduates with necessary technical and entrepreneurial skills.

He urged government investment in TVET, including improved funding, modern facilities, and curriculum reforms, and called for vocational education to be made compulsory in secondary schools. Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta, Vice-Chancellor of FUT Minna, supported Raymond's views, highlighting the urgent need for job creation to address national challenges.