The National Board for Technical Education (MBTE), yesterday, stressed the need for standardisation of technical and vocational skills for national industrial growth.
Executive Director, National Skills and Qualification Division of the Board, Mr. Olusola Majiyagbe, stated this in Abeokuta during the commencement of a three-day training on National Occupation Standard (NOS) for technical colleges in the state.
The training tagged: “Understanding National Occupation Standard (NOS),” which is aimed at the institutionalisation of the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), was organised by the German Development Corporation (GIZ) in collaboration with the NBTE.
Majiyagbe, who expressed concern about the challenges in Nigeria’s technical and vocational education, listed the challenges to include poor funding of technical institutions, the proliferation of illegal technical institutions, obsolete equipment in technical institutions, low societal estimation of graduates of technical institutions, and lack of synergy between colleges of education and industries, among others.
He, however, said that the challenges could be surmounted through the NSQF developed to achieve the occupational standardisation.
He described the framework as “an instrument for the development, classification and recognition of skills, knowledge and competencies acquired through a variety of ways by artisans.”
Majiyagbe said the board would provide policy guidelines on organising skills’ training to improve product, productivity and competitiveness in both formal and informal sector.
He, however, expressed concern that in spite of the activities of the MBTE at standadising technical skills, many artisans were still unaware of the process and the prospects.
He said the training had become necessary to create awareness on the process and stimulate interests of Nigerian youths in technical and vocational education.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, who was represented by Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Technical and Vocational Education, Prof. Joseph Odemuyiwa, said the state would involve both formal and informal sectors in the technical and vocational education.
Source: Guardian NG
