Despite Nigeria’s high unemployment rate, about 925 technical and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) jobs have been difficult to fill, thanks to the dearth of Nigerians with the requisite skills.
This was the homespun take of Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari on Wednesday in his welcome address at the 14th Biennial Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) National Conference in Abuja.
He noted that a major challenge for government has been the dearth of Nigerians with requisite skills even when the National Skills Gap Assessment (NSGA) created openings in six priority sectors of the economy conducted by the ITF in collaboration with the united Nation’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
He stressed that the survey and others conducted by several organisations attributed the shortfall to a mismatch between labour supply and requirements of the job market.
Chairman of the Occasion and Vice Chancellor, University of Jos, Prof. Seddid Maimako, said more attention should be paid to practical teaching than theory in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
His words: “The best way to reduce unemployment in Nigeria is to focus more on practical aspects of education than the theory aspects. We must de-emphasise theory and give room for practical studies, graduates should endeavour to prove themselves in areas outside their specialty to improve their lives. The new world order requires new skills for citizens to grapple with unemployment, we need to look at our employment trends of skills match for our people.”