SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAMS AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH OF NIGERIA

SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAMS AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH OF NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

 INTRODUCTION

1.1              Background to the Study

Skill is very important in the life of every human being. The reason why many technicians earns more than some university graduates is because the technicians acquire more practical skills than the theories, unlike the graduates who were fed with theoretical experiences while in the universities. It can take you to places you do not expect you will find yourself. Skill acquisition is the ability to be trained on a particular task or function and become expert in it. It is really unfortunate that there is a huge rate of unemployment in many parts of the world today especially in Nigeria. It is one of the causes of rapid growth in crime in many parts of the world. Today, there are many graduates in the country who are still unemployed. This is as a result of our long system of education that is more of theory and not much practical learning.  It is evident that the continent of Africa has the highest rate of unemployed youths. The major cause of the unemployment among these vibrant youths in our society today is mainly due to the lack of skill to back up what they learnt from their institutions of learning. The time when all these graduates were in school, they did not learn at least a single skill like; graphic designing, hair dressing, carpentry, electrical maintenance among others. Assuming they learnt any skill, the rate of unemployment will reduce among them.

One of the major Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which Nigeria aimed to achieve in 2015 was the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger with the target of encouraging the proportion of people who earn less than a dollar a day to engage in skills acquisition. Skills acquisition is described as the tool for eradicating extreme poverty and hunger with the aim of paving way for employment and creating an avenue for jobs and wealth creation that may bring about self- sufficiency and reliance and contributing to the growth of the economy in the country (Isaac, 2011). Gumbari, a member of the House of Representatives expressed his opinion that skills acquisition is the password in fighting for the elimination of hunger and poverty and even reduction or elimination of joblessness and crime rate reduction in the society through effective engagement of youths.

Nigeria is rapidly expanding her roads network system to improve the movement of goods and services. This requires not only expert and dedicated workers, but skilled technicians that will be able to operate and service the equipment used in road construction. Modern industries are being established in all parts of the country and many of these industries require skilled and well-trained workers to ensure that goods manufactured in Nigeria are of good quality as those manufactured in developed and developing nations of the world. People need skills to operate and administered government and industrial operations. The increase in the public and private sectors in Nigeria requires more skilled workers in the areas of office management, accounting, typing and short-hand in order to ensure that accurate records are duly kept and that administrative efficiency is functionally maintained. Roads in Nigeria today, are full of all kinds of vehicles which assist in the economic development of the country by ensuring that goods and services are moved quickly and safely from one part of the country to another. All these vehicles require efficient operatives and skilled technicians that will ensure that their useful life is extended and that they are operated safely.

SKILL ACQUISITION PROGRAMS AS A TOOL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH OF NIGERIA