2,000 Kaduna residents to benefit from FG’s technical, vocational skills programme

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai

The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Educational Intervention, Fela Bank-Olemoh, says 2,000 people in Kaduna State would be equipped with technical and vocational skills through the Federal Government Project T-MAX.

Bank-Olemoh said this when he paid a courtesy visit to the acting governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, on Tuesday at the Government House.

He said Kaduna and six other states were selected to pilot the programme targeted at 15,000 beneficiaries in Nigeria.

He said Gombe, Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Enugu, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states were the seven states selected for the pilot programme.
The SSA said the 15,000 Nigerians would be equipped with vocational skills in the next three months during the programme.

Bank-Olemoh stated that by 2023, the programme would be scaled up to one million Nigerians using the facilities that exist within the eco system, adding that the gesture was part of the Federal Government’s commitment to empowering Nigerians with skills.

“Things are tough; the best thing to give Nigerians is skills and starter packs. Students that did well in their final test after the training will be given starter packs,” he said.

The SSA explained that Project T-MAX is a Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programme approved by the National Steering Committee on National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).

He said it was aimed at achieving the Federal Government’s goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty with NPRGS as one of the core poverty interventions by 2030.

In her remarks, the acting governor of Kaduna State, commended the programme which she said aligned with the state government’s human capital development initiative, especially in skills and talent development.

Balarabe, who was represented by the Commissioner for Business Innovation and Technology, Prof. Kabir Mato, said the state government would work with Project T-Max and ITF for the success of the project in the state.

She said the state government believes in partnership and collaborations in delivering its governance agenda.

The acting governor described the programme as laudable and timely, especially to Kaduna State as one of the states in the pilot phase of the project that would run from August to December.

Balarabe assured government continued commitment through provision of enabling environment for the smooth implementation of the programme in the state.

The Star