The Imperative of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in a developing Economy.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training is education and training which provides knowledge and skills for employment. TVET includes formal, non-formal and informal learning that provide people with the knowledge and skills required in today’s world of work. It is recognized to be a must have vehicle for social equity, inclusion and sustainable development. Its principal objective is to train youths and adults alike, readying them for the labor market. With technical revolution and innovations in science and technology, labor market needs have significantly evolved. New challenges must be met in order to match the education proposed with vocational demands.
Over the years, TVET has been called many names: apprenticeship training, vocational education, technical education, technical-vocational education, occupational education, vocational education and training, professional and vocational education, career and technical education, workforce education, workplace education, and others.
Unemployment is the number one challenge currently faced by young people in Nigeria and most African countries, and yet employers say they are unable to recruit people with the right skills. Nigeria’s economy and future prosperity depend on ensuring that employers have the skilled workers to maintain and grow their businesses. The opportunities are there, but young people need the right skills to be able to access them. Skilled workers make individual companies and industry sectors more competitive, and skills development training helps to lift individuals out of the poverty cycle.
TVET offers a solution to both these issues, through the provision of high quality, relevant training to individuals. This is why the government, and its partners must invest in TVET, to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in the world of work. In TVET, young people can learn from basic to advanced levels across a wide range of institutional and work settings.
