The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), Dr Ali Nuhu, has called on stakeholders in the creative sector to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) to drive skills development and competence certification for Nigeria’s creative economy.
Nuhu made the call while addressing participants at the opening of a three-day National Occupational Standards Critique and Validation Workshop for Creative Media Trades in Abuja.
The workshop, themed “Setting National Standards – Empowering Global Creativity,” was held from July 23 to July 25 and brought together representatives of training institutions, creative industry experts and film stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Nuhu said Nigeria’s creative media sector had operated for too long through both formal and informal structures, facing significant challenges in identifying, harnessing, certifying and mainstreaming talents and skills acquired outside the conventional education system.
According to him, the workshop represents a major milestone for labour market development in Nigeria’s creative media sector.
He commended the Creative Media Sector Skills Council (CMSSC) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) for organising the workshop, describing it as the first step towards developing a National Occupational Standards curriculum for use in certified Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres nationwide.
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“Federal government agencies, departments, critical stakeholders and partners have demonstrated unreserved commitment and dogged resilience with the successful mounting of this workshop. The destination is surely closer than before,” he said.
Nuhu explained that individuals who acquired skills outside the formal education system, as provided under the National Skills Qualification Framework, could undergo NOS-certified training programmes.
He noted that the initiative would prepare beneficiaries for decent employment opportunities within and outside Nigeria, while also enhancing access to fair remuneration, career progression and academic advancement.
The NFC boss reaffirmed the commitment of the corporation and the National Film Institute (NFI) to supporting the Federal Government’s TVET initiative, noting that it aligns with efforts to equip Nigerian youths for opportunities in the expanding creative media industry.
In his inaugural address, the Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaji, said employer-led training curricula developed from validated National Occupational Standards remain essential for accelerated and sustainable economic growth.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Alhaji Salihu Dembos, expressed optimism that the outcome of the workshop would help position Nigeria among countries that recognise and certify individuals based on NOS-driven skills and competencies.
Earlier, the Chairman of the CMSSC, Hajiya Fatima Haliru, said participants were expected to critique, review and validate 40 NOS curricula covering major trades within the creative media sector.
The trades include film production, audio production, content creation, digital photography, animation, digital graphics, broadcasting, gaming and immersive technologies.
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