Nigeria is a country economic reform. A productive, competent and flexible work force is a pre-requisite for furthering economy. The demand for skilled workers is already acute and will become ever intense as the industrial sector becomes dominant provider of employment; yet the vocational and education sub-sector is unable to respond to the changing labor market requirements because of its present supply-driven orientation. It’s curricula, instructional equipment, teaching methods, and evaluation techniques are outdated, leading to inappropriate low internal and external efficiencies. The management capacity of the school system is inadequate to improve the low- performing vocational and skilled experience.
Mirian Pat Foundation in alliance with Olumobi foundation and Destiny transformers initiatives organized a skill acquisition training program, in line with the sustainable development goals “8” (Decent work and economic growth) based on unemployment reduction initiatives which among others, seeks to expand access to basic, non-formal and vocational skills education. The training was conducted from the 29th of July to the 9th August 2019, in Gwarinpa primary school Abuja, Nigeria. Thus, the training aid in the implementation of the aforementioned goal.
Different skills were taught to these young teenagers on how to make liquid soap, Vaseline. Following the training program, 3 best children were picked out of the crowd to compete on how to make the aforementioned products, and prizes were given to them according to their performance after the competition, ranging from 1st to 3rd position. The training ended with outrageous display of jubilation from the students’ and also were looking forward for more skill acquisition training in future.
This training is termed “Teach us Project” and was a success, which was proposed in contributing to the promotion of SDG’s “8”(Decent work and economic growth) and Nigeria as a whole, by training students’, revise and developed curricula( including skill acquisition training in the school curriculum) , and enhance equipment to improve labor efficiency. It also, monitors labor market requirements and involve private sector in training program development, accreditation, testing and certification to improve system- wide external efficiency. Provision was made for encouraging more youths to be self- reliant.
However, the foundation encountered a major challenge during the project, in terms of funding and resources to enhance the training. Thus, the foundation is pleading with corporate bodies and government to assist in this major area where there are loop-holes in the foundation to make more progressive goals in future and provide a better environment for our youths out there and eradicate the issue of unemployment in our society.
