The Industrial Training Fund and the National Board for Technical Education have resolved their long standing mandate dispute, unveiling a new framework that clearly delineates responsibilities for formal and informal skills development in Nigeria.

The agencies disclosed the development at a joint press conference in Abuja, describing the agreement as a major milestone in strengthening technical and vocational education and bridging the skills gap needed for industrialisation.

The Executive Secretary of the NBTE, Professor Idris Bugaje, explained that the agreement, endorsed by the National Council on Skills chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, would eliminate years of institutional rivalry and create a unified skills ecosystem. He stated that the NBTE would focus on regulating technical and vocational education within the formal education system, including Polytechnics and other allied Institutions, while the ITF would oversee the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework, industry based skills development, and informal sector training.

Bugaje noted that the conflict over the regulation of the Framework was now over, adding that the collaboration would strengthen industrial attachment programmes by ensuring students receive practical training in industries. He stressed that the country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training system must shift from training for industry to training with industry.

He lamented Nigeria's dependence on foreign skilled workers despite its large unemployed population, citing the engagement of thousands of foreign workers during the construction of the Dangote Refinery, and argued that the situation reflected weaknesses in the country's skills development system. He pointed to countries such as India and Bangladesh, which generate billions of dollars annually by exporting skilled labour, as evidence of Nigeria's potential if its skills ecosystem is repositioned.

The Director General of the ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, revealed that the agreement also clarifies the distinction between formal and informal skills development, ending years of overlapping functions between the agencies. He explained that the NBTE would continue to regulate formal technical education in Polytechnics, monotechnics, technical colleges, and related Institutions, while the ITF would focus on apprenticeships, artisans, technicians, and linking graduates to industry.

Ogun stated that the President had ended the longstanding confusion, with formal skills remaining under the Ministry of Education through the NBTE, while informal skills development and industry linkage now fall clearly under the ITF. He added that the ITF would also drive recognition of prior learning, build a database of artisans and technicians nationwide, and align their competencies with the Framework to improve employability.

Bugaje disclosed that the Secretariat of the National Council on Skills and the WorldSkills Nigeria Secretariat had been transferred to the ITF, and announced the establishment of a WorldSkills Academy in Abuja, where master craftsmen and instructors would receive world class training before transferring knowledge to students and apprentices nationwide.

Ogun confirmed that the academy had already been established within the ITF's Modern Skills Training Centre in Abuja and was undergoing renovation ahead of its formal unveiling, adding that the facility would prepare Nigerian youths for future WorldSkills competitions following the country's recent admission into the global WorldSkills network.