National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship in addressing the nation’s unemployment challenge.
The executive secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje stated this in Abuja, yesterday, at a national workshop for “Entrepreneurship Educators in Nigerian Polytechnics and Similar TVET institutions.”
The theme of the workshop tagged, “Mastering Entrepreneurial Skills Development Modules”, was organised across the six zones of the country.
Bugaje said entrepreneurship played a critical role in the ability of the graduates to either be employed or independent, hence the need to take entrepreneurship development seriously.
He said the future of Nigerian youths is the ability to become a worthwhile entrepreneur and that entrepreneurship is the key to a successful graduate of Polytechnics so that 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,” he added.
On his part, the executive secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, said entrepreneurship and skills development through the use of individual’s 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 the 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,“ he said.
