The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship development of youths in addressing the nation’s unemployment challenge.
The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday, at a National Workshop for Entrepreneurship Educators in Nigerian Polytechnics and Similar TVET institutions.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the workshop tagged:’ Mastering Entrepreneurial Skills Development Modules, is organised across the six geo-political zones of the country.
Bugaje emphasised that entrepreneurship played critical role in the ability of the graduates to either be employed or independent, hence the need to take entrepreneurship development seriously.
According to him, the future of Nigerian youths is the ability to become a worthwhile entrepreneur and entrepreneurship is the key to a successful graduate of Polytechnics so they can use the skills to employ others.
“The curriculum for teaching entrepreneurship courses in our institutions was reviewed last year and this year, we are carrying out this workshop on how to deliver these courses.
“Not only that, but books are also being developed which will now be impacted on our students through the lecturers.
“The future of Nigeria youth is not in paper qualification but the ability to become worthwhile entrepreneurs.
“There are differences between entrepreneurship programmes and skills development programmes. In entrepreneurship, we learn about how to run and start a business while in skills development you acquire a skill which is very necessary.
“Entrepreneurship is the key to graduates employability so that they can use the skills they acquire to create jobs themselves and employ others rather than become job seekers,” he said.
On his part, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, said entrepreneurship and skills development through the use of individuals’ skills set, resources and exchange would profit the nation as well as promote employment.
“We want to commend the committee of rectors for coming up with the review of curriculum that focuses on how entrepreneurship should be taught and practiced.
“Initially, our focus has been how we are going to have an enterprise, small business or how to engage in activities that will have additional income.
“Entrepreneurship education goes beyond that, it goes into critical thinking, risk taking, identification of opportunities using skills sets, resources and creating values that promote employment.
“It is the only way we can address unemployment in our country and grow the sector. So we have the key to making the country change,” he said. (NAN)