Edo State Launches Technical Talent Development Policy, Work-based Learning In TVET Schools

By Edebor Esther

Edo State Government has launched the Edo State Technical Talent Development Policy (TTDP), a comprehensive framework aimed at developing globally competitive technical talents in the State.

The work-based Education and training in Technical and Vocational colleges was launched at a business round table for key private and public sectors players in the technical and vocational education space, with the goal of making Edo State a hub for skilled technical talents in Nigeria and Africa by the year 2027.

Speaking at the launch, Governor Obaseki emphasized that his Administration’s focus has been on the people of Edo State. He said he would ensure that they are equipped with the skills necessary to compete favourably in the global space. “Since I stepped into office, we have focused on one thing only, our people. We are here because of the citizens and children of Edo state. Our purpose is to ensure that we do all that we can with the resources we have to place our people at the core point of development and make them globally competitive. We want to make sure that our people are not just skilled, but also exportable, and that is why we are launching this policy today.”

The Governor stated that the State’s TTDP is designed to address the challenges of mass illegal migration and brain drain, by providing opportunities for citizens to develop skills and compete globally. “We want to create a system where our people can stay back in Edo State and develop their skills, rather than traveling abroad in search of greener pastures. We believe that with this policy, we can achieve that. We have seen great demands for skilled technical talents in Europe and America, and even within the Country. Competent skills are lacking in the Country, and we have to make sure to develop useful technical talents that will serve us and be exported.”

Governor Obaseki highlighted the importance of collaboration between the government, private sector, and educational institutions to achieve the goals of the policy. “We want to thank our partners who have been on this journey with us in the past seven and more years. You can’t talk about technical and vocational education without talking about basic education. We had to start from the foundation to lay the base for everything else to stand. So, the first four to five years, our focus was on consolidating the foundation of education, which is basic education, to make sure that by the time a child has gone through the first nine years of education and is in JSS3, that child is prepared for life. And the foundations for literacy and numeracy and also life skills.”

In her remarks The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, emphasized the importance of technical education, stating “Technical Education is very important to Governor Obaseki. The last seven years, we have tried to find how we can provide the right type of teaching and learning opportunities for our Technical Students.”

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She highlighted the disarticulation of vocational from pre-vocational as a key step in defining a clear path for students and appreciated the Federal Government’s policy of recognizing NATEB in lieu of WAEC and NECO.

Dr. Oviawe acknowledged the limitations of government in providing technical expertise and innovation, saying “We will acknowledge that Government cannot outdo the organized private sector and industry when it comes to Technical expertise and innovation.” She expressed the desire to engage with private sector partners to provide the right kind of workplace, following global best practices. She also appreciated the support of GIZ and emphasized the need to remove the stigma that technical education is for those who are not smart.

The Acting Executive Secretary of the Edo State Board for Technical and Vocational Education, Dr. Teseer Nyulaku, emphasized the need for collaboration between the government, private sector, and educational institutions to achieve the goals of the policy.

“It is not possible in the 21st century that education becomes an intervention carried out solely by the Ministry of Education. We must all come together to develop a new innovative way to ensure that this can be done. We need to go beyond just building more technical schools and colleges, recruiting more teachers, and deploying more resources. We need to develop a system that is sustainable and innovative.”

Dr. Teseer also highlighted the importance of technical competency and academic learning, saying, “We are not compromising academic learning and substituting it for technical competency. Both are vital and go hand-in-hand. We have our school-based pathway through our colleges and the work-based pathway through apprenticeship and traineeship. We want to establish a technical teachers development program that will create an exchange position between the industry and the classroom. We are establishing digital resource hubs in every technical college where young people can take on ICT, innovation training, and also professional certification. This facility is open to the community, not just students in the technical colleges. We also agreed to have agri-business slots where we are going to encourage green crops farming with electronics; these are very new modern technologies in agriculture. We want to stimulate community development through the schools that are present within those locations.”

The policy outlines a pathway for technical competency and academic learning, with a focus on apprenticeships, traineeships, and internship positions. It also includes provisions for continuous professional development for teachers, digital resource hubs, agri-business slots, and enterprise development forums. With this policy, Edo State is poised to become a leading destination for technical talent development in Nigeria and globally.

The event was attended by key stakeholders in the technical and vocational education space, including private sector players, educational institutions, and government officials. The launch of the policy is a significant step towards achieving the goal of making Edo State a hub for skilled technical talents in Nigeria and Africa by 2027.