The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the European Union, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) have launched the Youth Employability and Skills Project (YESP) to train 3,400 young people in digital, green and entrepreneurial skills across Kano, Jigawa and Sokoto States.
Speaking at the launch in Kano on Monday, UNICEF Kano Field Office Education Specialist, Mr. Heinrich Rukundo, said the partnership demonstrated a shared commitment to investing in young people as drivers of economic growth, innovation and sustainable development.
Rukundo noted that Nigeria’s greatest asset is its young population, but unlocking its demographic dividend requires equipping youths with skills that match the demands of today’s and tomorrow’s labour market, especially as technology, climate change and economic transformation reshape industries.
In his opening remarks, the Rector of the YABATECH, Engr. Ibraheem Abdul, described YESP as a strategic response to the urgent need to equip young people with relevant, market-driven skills, noting that the college is proud to lead the initiative with support from UNICEF and the EU.
Abdul who was represented by the Deputy Rector of the College, Dr. Ismail Badmus, said “YESP builds on YABATECH’s existing skills programmes, including its ICT Skills Hub, Digital Technology Academy offering training in Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies, a large-scale tech training targeting 18,000 youths, and the Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership (GESP).”
“In addition, the college is currently implementing large-scale technology skills training targeting approximately 18,000 Nigerian youth across our centres in Epe, Ikeja, and Yaba. These efforts form part of a broader commi-tment to expanding access to quality digital skills nationwide.” he stated.
Earlier, YESP Project Coordinator, Dr. (Mrs.) Funmilayo V. Doherty, said the training will cover ten skill areas including Solar PV Installation, Climate-Smart Poultry Production, Agro-Processing, Waste Recycling, Climate-Smart Irrigation, Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs, and will be aligned with the National Occupational Standards and National Skills Qualification Framework.
She said the project will not impose skills on communities but will validate them through stakeholder consultations to match local market demand, with beneficiaries to receive NSQ Level 2 and YABATECH certificates and post-training support through Community Entrepreneurship Hubs
Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano
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