TRAINING IN LIFE AND PRACTICAL SKILLS FOR INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

To realize the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal of meeting quality education for all young people and adults through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes, this study examined the extent to which secondary and post-secondary education curricula incorporate life and practical skills acquisition. The benefits of promoting the interest of youths who are aggressively seeking admission into Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the option of Technical and Vocational Centers (TVCs), which will offer them opportunities to acquire training in practical skills, rather than waiting endlessly for the former were also emphasized. The three research questions raised in the paper were intended to initiate government’s interventions in promoting the establishment of more vocational and technical institutions to provide access to teeming HEI admission seekers. The study suggested prompt and proper implementation of the 6-3-3-4 system and the establishment of more TVCs with a view to laying a strong foundation for the acquisition of relevant vocational and technical skills for Nigerian youths, some of who may still seek university degrees in the future if they so desire. Also, intervention strategies like: teaching entrepreneurial and life skills, mind-building subjects and involvement of community-based experts to partner with the schools for balanced training in theory and practice, were also suggested in the paper.