Canvassing For Technical Vocational Business and Technology Education and A Fusion of Todays Economic Reality
Our current reality
The gap identified in skilled manpower needs, the need to promote technical skills development and the dwindling enrolment figures in technical and vocational training demands a review of our past and current processes followed by deliberate actions to take going forward. A compelling need exists to drive the industrial revolution through vocational skills and manpower development. Before we can anticipate what would likely happen in the future it is necessary to imagine a future or the future that we desire. The current economic landscape in Nigeria is saturated with rent-seeking, white-collar mentality and a disdain for vocational and technically related work and pursuits. However, with the advancement of information technology and its warm embrace by the unemployed and youthful population, we have witnessed a massive adoption of information technology even for mundane reasons. This is a good place to start.
A major headstart
Let's start with technology-related financial services delivery. We have been able to unlock lending for blue-collar, hitherto unbankable and low-salary earners who have displayed dexterity in their vocations to create enterprises. Talk about Moniepoint and Opay; they have a large pool of low-income earners who operate in vocations and work as barbers, electricians, tailors, fashion designers, and hair stylists. These fin-tech businesses have helped in achieving the financial inclusion and financial engineering needed for them to thrive in a financial market that easily seems not to favour low-income earners.
There is a nexus between access to finance and the ability to turn a vocation into a venture or enterprise.
Leveraging social media as a market space
Another win for today’s skilled worker is the use of social media platforms for communication, entertainment and engagement and this has been adopted by a critical mass of the Nigerian population. Access to smartphones and the internet has helped vocation-induced enterprises in sales, service support and market awareness. Now people can advertise their crafts from plumbing, barbing, trading and merchandise online. Even farmers can sell their produce and leverage logistics platforms to reach the final consumers.
I have created a certification program which is a fusion of four industries into one, the Rose Window Technical, vocational, business and technology certificate (RTVBT) program. This fusion was developed with a robust curriculum in mind. While not exhaustive, we have focused on six key technical and vocational activities that have become major industries in our current economy. The selection also aligns with the new curriculum introduced by the federal government in preparing students for skilled expertise apart from theoretical expertise. We also included four business and eight technology programs to enhance the learning experience.
The RTVBT certificate program covers six vocations and technical skills namely, fashion and merchandising, catering and confectionaries, roof making, shoe making, solar panel and inverter, smartphones and computer repairs. Business skills to be developed in this certificate program include business management, sales and marketing, leadership, and financial management. The technology skills being covered include website design, digital marketing, data analysis, cybersecurity, UI/UX, robotics, and Artificial Intelligence.
Taking learning outside the school walls
The need to enhance learning and take learning outside the school walls is long overdue owing to the increasing cost of formal education. While the federal government of Nigeria has provided opportunities for tertiary education students to access loans through NELFUND none has been proposed or created for technically skilled vocations or enterprises. While it has yet been introduced, we also want to advise that this loan should not use age as a criterion to discourage those who seek to acquire or develop their skills and encourage as many as those who want to learn a vocation to enjoy this. The closest that we have now is the 3MTT skills program which accommodates all age classes which has been pivotal to its success.
As we move from a knowledge-based economy to a skills-based economy we must revolutionize learning and make learning a vocation compulsory for everyone between the ages of 18-55 years.
What are the challenges of setting up vocational and skills acquisition centres?
- Poor funding (lack of access to finance in that industry)
- Inadequate facilities and infrastructure (these are in terms of structures, and equipment) and a dearth of technological innovation by Nigerians. The lack of adequate electricity is a major challenge for industrialization.
- Lack of qualified teachers (this requires a new approach for teacher training in Nigeria to accommodate skills-based learning and revamping instructional designs)
- Curriculum challenge (teaching vocations can be somewhat different to classroom teaching). Deploying experiential teams is critical for engagement and enablement.
- Industry partnership (formalizing vocational training pathways can be the game changer of a co-creation of demand and supply). There must be a connection between the market and the school (both technical and tertiary)
Opportunities for improvement:
Job creation:
Nigeria has one of the largest numbers of unemployed youths and adults. Creating a policy to address this will significantly create jobs and new enterprises.
Unemployment reduction:
TVBT will draw more people out of unemployment. Our rising population will be a major user of vocational needs.
Technological literacy:
Information on technological skills will increase digital literacy as skills needed in the 21st century for developing nations
Career progression:
Turning vocational training and career pathways into a formal system can also become a great opportunity to draw young people into the industry and those who desire job security.
TVBT offers a valuable opportunity to recalibrate our economy. Nigeria the most populous nation in Africa and the fifth in the world must lead the pivotal change in Africa. We have been known for skilled manpower development, and great work ethic continentally and globally. Now is the time to create a pool of technically enabled and empowered skilled forces that will drive our industrialization and diversification policies. Yes, we can!
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