Shettima Backs Kaduna Skills Model, Says It Sets National Benchmark

Vice President Kashim Shettima has commended the Kaduna State government for pioneering the establishment of a Council on Skills.

Specifically, he said the Kaduna State Council on Skills is a national model for workforce development, youth employment and inclusive economic growth.

In a letter addressed to Governor Uba Sani, the Vice President, who is also the chairman of the National Council on Skills (NCS), praised the state for the inauguration of the council, describing the move as a strategic institutional response to Nigeria’s pressing human capital and unemployment challenges.

In a statement by the vice president’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, the commendation followed deliberations at the most recent session of the National Council on Skills, where Kaduna’s efforts were highlighted as a major policy milestone in advancing coordinated skills development across the federation.

According to the Vice President, the establishment of the council “aligns perfectly with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and sets a benchmark for other sub-national entities.”

He noted that by creating a dedicated institutional framework for skills development, Kaduna State had demonstrated “a proactive commitment to addressing the unemployment gap and fostering human capital development in line with our national objectives.”

VP Shettima further described the Kaduna initiative as evidence of an integrated vision for economic transformation.

“This milestone is a testament to your administration’s vision of integrated economic growth,” he said in the letter.

He added that the National Council on Skills views what he called the Kaduna Model as “a vital template for the ‘Bottom-Up’ approach to skills acquisition,” stressing that such a model is essential for ensuring that vocational and technical training initiatives effectively reach the grassroots.

The Vice President also called for sustained collaboration between the National Secretariat and the Kaduna State Council to harmonise standards and scale the impact of ongoing interventions.