Ambode Approves 3 Additional Technical Colleges To Tackle Youth Unemployment
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has approved immediate establishment of additional three Technical Colleges for the state, increasing the number of Technical and Vocational Colleges from five to eight.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule disclosed this on Monday at the year 2016 and 2017 graduation ceremony of the five Technical Colleges held in Lagos.
The deputy governor said the three new Technical Colleges proposed to be sited at Alimosho, Ibeju and Badagry would further help develop youths and unemployed graduates to acquire new skills and opportunity that would help them to create jobs and be self reliant.
Adebule who noted that technical and vocational skills is crucial to achieving self reliance and sustainable economic growth under the present economic recession, stated that the state government has invested heavily in the development of technical and vocational education because of the recognition of the need to explore and exploit the positive impact of technical and vocational education in the production of high quality technical skills for the provision of quality services and development.
‘’ The fact remains that the best way by which we can help create employment opportunities, stimulate economic growth in our state and nation and alleviate poverty is to equip our youths with skills by which they can use in creating jobs for themselves and become self reliant ‘’ Adebule stated.
While congratulating the 1, 324 graduating students from the five Technical Colleges, Adebule urged them to justify government huge investment in technical and vocational education by maximizing the training they received to impact on good service delivery and economic fortune of the state.
Harping on the reason for focusing on technical and vocational education as a strategy for economic growth disclosed that reliable findings indicated that Lagos state has the nation’s highest population of people less than 25 years of age at present, adding that, by 2025, Lagos will be home to around 20 percent of the nation’s population aged 24 and under.
She explained further that the implication of this findings is that government must be ready to create jobs every year for the next two decades so as to be able to arrest social unrest and youth restiveness.
