The Federal Government has verified over 960,000 Nigerian youths for technical and vocational skills training under the Federal Ministry of Education’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative.

The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during an inspection visit to selected TVET partner centres in Abuja on Thursday. During the inspection, the Minister visited AFS Vocational Hub in Garki and Golden Finger Farms and Ranches Limited along the Kubwa-Zuba Expressway, Dei-Dei in Abuja.

Speaking after the tour, Dr Alausa described the programme as a clear demonstration of the power of political will behind government intervention.

He disclosed that over 250,000 trainees are currently enrolled in the first cohort, undergoing hands-on training across 2,600 centres nationwide.

According to him, the Ministry identified about 86 trades across the country but narrowed them down to 28 key skill areas, including fashion and garment making, livestock production, GSM repair, plumbing, tiling, and farming.

Some of the Trainees described the initiative as worthwhile while encouraging others youth to come on board.

The training will run for six months at skills centres, 12 months at Vocational Enterprise Institutes, and up to three years in federal and state technical colleges.