The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), on Monday said Nigeria needed skilled craftsmen and technicians to be among the top 20 economies of the world by 2020.
The Chairman, Governing Board, NBTE, Prof. Laz Ekwueme stated this during the opening ceremony of a three-week workshop for Assessors of National Vocational Qualification Framework (NVQF).
“If Nigeria must be among the 20 top economies of the world by 2020, then it is absolutely necessary that we have craftsmen, technicians and technologists in critical mass.
“And the introduction of the NVQF will go a long way in facilitating and fast tracking this effort,” he said.
Ekwueme said the training exercise was to ensure the success of the vocational framework which was meant to improve education in the country.
He said the vocational framework would further encourage non-formal learning, including on-the-job training, as well as provide incentives to individuals to continue learning throughout life.
In his address, NBTE Executive Secretary, Dr Mas’ud Kazaure said the training would equip the participants to ascertain the quality of skills acquired during training and aid in producing skilled workmen.
“We are making a decisive contribution to the transformation agenda, since Nigeria’s aspiration to join the league of high performing economies of the world.”
“The most unique aspect of NVQF is the close monitoring of the training and assessment procedures to ensure effective quality assurance.”
The executive Secretary, therefore stressed the need for vocational and technical training to improve the nation’s technological development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training drew participants from stakeholders including, NAPTIN, NABTEB, NIHOTOUR, NAC and polytechnics.