Nigeria’s technical and vocational education drive is beginning to translate into economic opportunities for young people, with beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s free skills acquisition programme already securing commercial orders and establishing pathways to self-employment.

At the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Orozo, Abuja, some trainees have started earning income from skills acquired in catering, baking and other vocational trades, even before completing their training.

The development comes under the Federal Government’s Innovation Development for Effective Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, supported by the World Bank, which has equipped 38 federal and state technical colleges to expand access to practical skills training across the country.

One of the beneficiaries, Joy Genesis, a trainee at the Zenou TVET Centre, Orozo, said she had started receiving orders for wedding and birthday cakes barely four to five months after enrolling in the programme.

Genesis disclosed that the hands-on training had equipped her with practical knowledge in cake production, decoration, bread-making, pastries and confectionery, enabling her to undertake commercial orders independently.

According to her, the training covers the production of meat pies, bread rolls, fruit bread, honey bread, coconut bread, buns, egg rolls, Scotch eggs, shawarma and other snacks.

“We’ve learnt a lot. We’ve learnt pastries, how to make cakes and cover cakes. We’ve learnt meat pie, all forms of bread. They’ve taught us how to make bread rolls, fruit bread, honey bread and coconut bread,” she said.

She attributed her early business success to the practical nature of the programme, explaining that trainees were directly involved in production rather than relying exclusively on classroom instruction.

Another beneficiary, Modupe Osundeyi, who is undergoing catering training, also disclosed that she had secured an opportunity to supply buns and doughnuts to a school close to her residence after approaching its management with samples of her newly acquired skills.

She said the programme had provided her with the confidence and practical knowledge to explore business opportunities and generate income.

The success stories underscore the objectives of the Federal Government’s technical and vocational education initiative, which seeks to equip young Nigerians with employable skills and reduce dependence on conventional academic qualifications.

National Project Coordinator of the IDEAS Project, Mrs Blessing Ehi Ogwu, disclosed during an inspection of the IDEAS Project Centre at FSTC Orozo that 20 federal and 18 state technical colleges had been equipped under the initiative.

She said the investment was designed to strengthen practical skills acquisition and improve employment opportunities for young Nigerians.

“The Federal Government is interested in TVET education. That is why we have about 38 technical colleges that the Federal Government has funded and equipped like this, all to enhance skills,” she said.

Ogwu explained that the institutions provide opportunities for both formal and informal technical training, with FSTC Orozo serving as the designated federal technical college for the Federal Capital Territory.

Also speaking, the National Project Monitoring Officer in the Minister’s Office at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Olatunji Odewunmi, said Nigeria had more than 1,000 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres, including approximately 140 skills training centres across the FCT.

He described the IDEAS Project and the Federal Government’s TVET initiative as complementary interventions aimed at expanding access to practical skills development.

Odewunmi emphasised that the programme was entirely free, with government covering tuition, training fees, instructional materials and other essential requirements, including accommodation for beneficiaries in boarding facilities.

He added that trainees receive monthly stipends, while successful graduates are entitled to starter packs to enable them to establish businesses immediately after completing their programmes.

“Every one of them will get a starter pack even before the end of the training. By the day they graduate, they can go home with it,” he said.

To ensure commitment and accountability, Odewunmi said biometric attendance monitoring had been introduced, warning that trainees who failed to meet the required attendance threshold would forfeit their stipends and eligibility for starter packs.

He added that monitoring officers regularly visited the centres to assess training activities and ensure proper utilisation of government resources.

The Principal of FSTC Orozo, Dr Stella Uhuegbu, said the college had adopted the revised TVET curriculum, which prescribes a 70 per cent practical and 30 per cent theoretical training structure.

She explained that the institution had strengthened its capacity through the provision of instructional materials, modern equipment and technical instructors to deliver effective hands-on training.

According to her, the college currently has more than 1,000 regular students, while its six-month short-term skills acquisition programme accommodates over 1,000 trainees across five trades.

The available trades include information and communication technology, automobile mechanics, auto-electrical repairs, catering, garment making and GSM repairs.

Uhuegbu described the IDEAS Project as instrumental to the implementation of the government’s TVET agenda, noting that newly constructed and equipped workshops had enhanced the institution’s ability to deliver practical instruction.

“All the workshops you are seeing here were newly built and well equipped. The essence is to ensure that the skills training aspect of the TVET initiative is achieved because, without the workshops and equipment, we cannot effectively impact skills on the trainees,” she said.

She added that beneficiaries would receive certificates upon graduation alongside starter packs to support their transition into self-employment.

Meanwhile, a female trainee undergoing automobile training called for the expansion of the programme to rural communities and the provision of additional equipment to accommodate more participants.

She also encouraged more young women to embrace technical trades traditionally dominated by men, insisting that gender should not determine career choices or limit access to opportunities.

The trainee, who said she had acquired knowledge of engine types, components, maintenance procedures and basic repairs, described her participation in the programme as an empowering experience.

The Federal Government said the initiative would continue to strengthen technical education, promote entrepreneurship and provide young Nigerians with practical alternatives to unemployment and economic dependence.