The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Business Entrepreneurship Skills and Technology (BEST) Centre and six other Technical Skills Providers have graduated beneficiaries of the Federal Ministry of Education’s IDEAS-TVET training programme in Abuja.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the 1st Deputy President of ACCI and Founder of BEST Centre, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, said the programme was designed to equip participants with practical and industry-relevant skills to improve employability, promote entrepreneurship and support the development of sustainable enterprises.
According to him, “The initiative is an important investment in human capital development, particularly in equipping young Nigerians with practical competencies that could translate into employment and enterprise opportunities.”
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Adesugba said technical and vocational education remained critical to addressing unemployment and developing a workforce capable of responding to changing economic demands.
He urged the graduates to apply their newly acquired skills to establish businesses, secure employment and create opportunities for others.
Representing the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), the External Quality Assurance Manager, Junna Lawrence Gabriel, said beneficiaries would be assessed based on their practical competencies as part of the certification process.
Gabriel stressed that technical education should go beyond the acquisition of certificates, saying trainees must demonstrate the skills acquired and apply them effectively in real-life work and enterprise environments.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director-General of ACCI BEST Centre, Dr Tinuke Temitope, said the seven training providers collaborated to implement the programme across different skill areas, with the objective of creating employment, entrepreneurship and income-generating opportunities.
The participating Technical Skills Providers were ACCI BEST Centre, Onidiri Home of Beauty, Gemological Institute of Nigeria, iLearn Learning Spaces, Germnig Consultants Limited, Dari Investments Limited, and Binley and Bramble, in partnership with School Hunters.
The graduates expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Education, FME-IDEAS and the Central Bank of Nigeria for providing the opportunity to acquire practical and marketable skills.
One of the trainees captured the impact of the programme, saying, “You have not just taught us how to make this. You have given us the tools to build our own future.”
In her concluding remarks, Hajiya Hauwa Usman commended the organisers, training providers and partners for their collaboration.
She urged the graduates to put their newly acquired skills to productive use by creating businesses, pursuing employment opportunities and contributing to their communities.
The graduation marks another milestone in the implementation of the IDEAS-TVET programme, with stakeholders reiterating the importance of practical skills development as a pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth.
