The Role of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Youth Empowerment and Wealth Creation in Nigeria

This paper emphasizes Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a panacea to youth unemployment. It maintains that TVET is a tool for empowering people, especially the youth, for sustainable livelihood and economic development. TVET serves as a vital instrument for producing skilled manpower for various sectors of the national economy, thereby creating employment opportunities and contributing to wealth generation. However, the goal of using TVET to create jobs and generate wealth has not fully achieved the objectives outlined in the Federal Government of Nigeria’s National Policy on Education (NPE). As a result, the role of TVET in empowering youths and reducing unemployment, underemployment, and associated social vices remains largely unrealized. The paper reviews key challenges contributing to this gap and recommends, among others, that the government and TVET stakeholders collaborate to revitalize TVET at all levels. Furthermore, the government should urgently raise its education budget to meet international standards, and Nigerian youths should be continually supported with credit facilities to help them establish small businesses rather than rely on limited white-collar jobs. Keywords: TVET, Youth Empowerment, Wealth Creation