Governor Uba Sani
Sani to engage in skill acquisition training for 1600 youths. Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has started the construction of the Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skill Acquisition City for the training of youths across the 23 local government areas of the state.
When completed, the Skill City, which would be replicated in the state’s three senatorial districts, he claimed, will “train and certify 400 trainees every quarter and 1,600 trainees every year in 19 different vocations.”
The governor disclosed this while performing the groundbreaking of the Skill Acquisition City in Rigachikun, Igabi Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.
According to Sani, the training schedule, which is based on the Nigerian Skill Qualification Framework, is aimed at bridging the gap in human development from 23 per cent to 46 percent by 2030.
He said, “During our campaign and upon assumption of office, we promised the people of Kaduna State of human capital development to enable our youths to compete globally. We conducted a skill gap analysis and discovered areas of skill shortage.
“Jobs to be handled by our people in business concerns are given to foreigners because of skill deficiency. There is an urgent need to re-skill and up-skill our youths to make them employable.
“The Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skill Acquisition City is a digital skill project that provides Microsoft Cisco for international certification, oil and gas welding and certification, articulate vehicle driving, refrigeration and air conditioner, automotive, mechatronic, catering, welding, tiling, solar power installation, aluminum fabrication, fashion, design, and masonry.”
“The City will train and certify 400 trainees every quarter which means 1,600 trainees will be graduated annually. The project has the potential to transform Kaduna State into an IT and vocational technology hub. Kaduna state would become a leading knowledge economy in Nigeria.”
The Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, Prof. Idris Bugaje, who was represented by NBTE Director, Abbati Mohammed, said they are at the City to support the initiative of the governor.
“We had the approval of the Federal Executive Council to implement the Nigerian Skill Qualification Framework certified to national and international standards and this is what the Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skill Acquisition City is going to train our youths towards. The skills will be work-related and help them to be workers and employers,” he assured.
The City, according to the builders, would have 16 workshops, four dormitories, classrooms, an administrative block, a registry, a clinic, a cafeteria, a kiosk, delivery, a basketball court, a football field, a mosque, a generator room, two outdoor public toilets and parking space.