By Stella Odueme
The Minister of state for Youth Development, Engineer Ayodele Olawande has reiterated president Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerian youth acquire the right skills to drive employment and improve employability.
He re-emphasized this at the World Youth Skills Day Celebration held at Dangote Ultra Modern Skills Acquisition Centre (DUMSAC) in Kano.
In his remarks, the minister who advocated for skills acquisition for youth and young people stated , “Education is good but only skills will develop our nation and improve the living condition of the youth “
A statement on Friday said Ayodele Olawande who later co- launched the Better Education For Africa ‘s Rise(BEAR) III, a partnership project by the Ministry of Education of the people’s Republic of Korea and the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), observed that Nigeria’s education must now be retooled to focus on delivering skills that are in line with the needs of the 21st century job market.
“It is very imperative that we tie the kind of education we give the youth to the dictate of the job market.A graduate must not only be able to read, write and speak good English,he must possess at least two skills that he can immediately begin to deplore after leaving school to earn productive living”, the Minister asserted.
The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) is an annual event which is being celebrated globally on the 15th of July in compliance with the declaration of the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA).It aims to raise awareness about the need to equip young people with skills for employability, entrepreneurship and self- employment.
