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The federal government on Monday announced plans to create a certification system for unskilled labour in Nigeria. Musa Abdullahi, chairman of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), made the announcement at a meeting on the National Vocational Qualification Framework. Mr. Abdullahi said the traditional system of qualification does not appropriately address the informal sector, though most jobs and vocational trainings were located there.

“National recognition is not given to the skills and competencies acquired in this important sector,” he said. “The system does not allow individuals who might not have any certificates, but have gained useful relevant experience or competence, to secure formal qualification for additional improvement.”

Lifelong learning

Mr. Abdullahi said the framework will improve vocational education and training while providing incentives to individuals to continue learning through life.

“This implies that mechanics, vulcanizers, carpenters, caterers, tailors, will be tested based on their competencies and issued certificates by the federal government which they can use even outside Nigeria to get jobs, when the relevant legislative procedures are in place.” He added that Nigeria needed skilled craftsmen, technicians and technologists in large numbers, if the country was to be one of the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.

Ade Aimola, acting executive secretary of NBTE, said that, “the education system is facing a lot of challenges, chief among which are quantity, quality and relevance of training and training opportunities in both formal and non-formal sector.” It is against this backdrop that the National Board for Technical Education is seeking to introduce and develop the national vocational qualification framework,” Mr. Aimola said.

Need for the system

The framework has to do with the development, classification and recognition of skills, knowledge and competencies acquired by individuals irrespective of where and how the training or skill was acquired.

“The system gives a clear statement of what the learner must know to be able or be able to do whether the learning took place in a classroom, on-the-job, or less formally. The framework indicates comparability of different qualifications and how one can progress from one level to another.” Mohammed Aminu, a director at Industrial Training Fund, said there was a need to certify artisans in the country, because this lack of certification has deprived them of certain privileges. “This framework meeting is timely. It is going to help not only the Fund but other organizations and help for the development of the country,” Mr. Aminu said.