Becky Uba Umenyili
Vocational training and skills acquisition in some schools in the country will undoubtedly reduce the crunch of unemployment and joblessness, which have become a snag in the polity of Nigerian governance. An increase in population, yearly turn-out of school graduates, the downturn in the national economy, which cause low investment opportunities to enable companies to create jobs, infrastructural insecurity and some other pertinent factors have all contributed to the degree of unemployment in the country.
The average Nigerian youth is confronted with this situation which seemingly presents a hopeless future with fears of sustainability. Thus, the proverbial statement of the bird learning to fly without perching since the hunter shots without missing has become the tag for some secondary schools that now engage their students in vocational training and industrial developments.
This is strictly not part of the curriculum but yet it’s inserted in the schools’ academic calendar weekly to create opportunities for the children to learn various crafts, artworks and vocational projects; including ICT and computing tutorials with repairs and maintenance of systems, plumbing and carpentry training, house building and paint making, shoe manufacturing and repairs, basic tailoring skills and fashion/cosmetics application, hair making and barbing practicals, baking and cooking of various dishes as well as other utility-based training.
Hitherto, the routine upbringing of children to attend formal educational training has been structured from the prep to primary and up to tertiary education. The dilemma of job haunt after graduation has necessitated the introduction of this additional training programme to save today’s children the problem of joblessness in the future.
The advantage this presents to youths cannot be underestimated because youths unable to acquire higher education opt to learn a trade, and their educated counterparts learn a skill to fit into the job market.
Recent developments following the ASUU strike have shown that some of the affected students have taken to some nefarious means to keep busy; obviously, they lack the fund to start businesses of their own and perhaps feel over-aged to learn decent trades.
Such a situation can be avoided if children undergo training in various skills while in secondary schools because adaptation later in life would not be difficult for them since they would have gained the required basic knowledge.
Some youths feel ashamed to undergo vocational training after graduation due to unemployment and may even regret the time spent in formal education in school, a factor that may propel some affected persons into felonious means of survival.
Learning vocational skills in secondary schools would help the children to specialise in their chosen careers and afford an additional opportunity for more jobs after graduation.
Many schools have sporting, musical and other extra curriculum activities. However, adding vocational training gives added advantage to douse whatever monotony may arise from regular formal classroom teachings.
A facilitator of skill acquisition projects in schools, Mrs Rose Okwuchime, said, “These are different from actual skill training because some don’t use tools and practical is very important in vocational courses to prevent limiting the children to near-theoretical learning.”
Okwuchime also noted that although the federal government encourages vocational training in schools, most government-owned schools have yet to embrace the course because of its huge cost implication. She further stated that there was a need to commence the training in all schools to exhibit students’ work during graduation to encourage participation and private sector funding.
Providing schoolchildren vocational training will make them more engaged when they get to higher institutions with an opportunity to excel after graduation.
