The United States’ Silicon Valley entrepreneurial experience speaks volumes about the extent creativity and innovation positively impact the economy. Arguably, these are the footprints that truly manifest economic emancipation, economic survival and economic growth and development; actualised through unprecedented, very commendable efforts, diligently made daily to sustain all prevailing economic tasks, with strong willed determination that focuses on doing achievable remarkable exploits. Such great performances remain the uncommon legacies recorded for future references. Self-employment in the twenty-first century is therefore the trending economic agenda for a realistic and efficient productivity profile at microeconomic level all over the world. It is important to note that, no forward looking-economy would like not to key in and invest in preparing the grooming grounds for coaching and training of their growing youths in their respective economies (noting the importance of a sustainable resourceful capacity, for skillful expertise that is talent driven).
The simple truth is that macroeconomic indices can only make reasonable sense when their growing youths (demographically) with diverse talents are ably equipped substantially, to render their respective services to the society in the most efficient manner, done and delivered with professionalism.
Vocational education, in essence, is the route to successfully actualising the right macroeconomic results in the society, through specified career training programmes. The days are gone when children in schools are drilled through irrelevant educational programmes and studying of very inapplicable subjects and courses that practically have no bearing and relatable integrated future services in their lives after school. In the past, such regimental academic approach resulted in wasting unnecessarily, scholars’ energies and time that would have been better channeled effectively into skill acquisition training that would have made impact and registered improved expertise for professionalism in any given vocation.
With such a strategy, efficiency in output is assured, with little or no lost man-hour, should such school leaver be engaged in job-hunting for gainful employment in the labour market. Such man-hour deficit in the labour market is plugged proactively, through early engagement in vocational education that is acquired for the purpose of being gainfully employed or, better still, to be self-employed immediately after training. The advantage lies in the basic truth that the trainees have been subjected to relevant training that rightly prepares them for practical application of diverse skilled crafts.
In Nigeria’s current secondary school curriculum, new subjects like artificial intelligence, digital literacy, and programming are targeted to prepare the students to acquire skills for future applications and utilisation. This particularly commendable and innovative initiative is visionary. It is a very impressive initiative that is devoid of the wicked, unproductive and non-performance economic strategy of yesteryears by the colonial masters that operated and administered with an imperialist mindset (with the costly distractions of not focusing aright and direct, academically, by taking subjects and degree courses in Latin, Greek, etcetera etcetera). They were probably done in order to hold their colonies in perpetual poverty, with little or no growth, economically. Before now, there are secondary schools in the country where their alumni bodies arrange various packages of vocational trainings for the students (which includes carpentry and wood work, welding, metal fabrication, barbing; plus enhancement in grooming the talented children for improvement, for effective utilisation of their various and several intellectual properties). This is often done as the alumni bodies’ way of expressing appreciation, by giving back to the institution that nurtured them academically (their Alma Mater). These economic packages are worth being organised, and physically conducted, during implementation of such relevant educational policies.
This wonderful initiative is already being implemented in the South Eastern region, by Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State. In Enugu State, a model institution, the Government Technical College (GTC) in Enugu has been equipped for theoretical learning/coaching and practical training at the centre, with fully equipped world class machines for garment making. It is greeted with amazing awe because, little can anyone not mistake this academic training ground to be an operational private business establishment (a one-stop garment making factory, with all the needed specialised industrial machines fully equipped during its set up) by a visionary entrepreneur and an investor.
This digital and action driven executive governor of our time, has lavishly installed virtually all that is needed for a money making business entity; as a technical training centre. There is therefore, no reason for any student who will be subjected and exposed to a full-time training programme in garment making at such a cutting edge, modern garment factory, not to succeed in his/her future career as a self employed garment maker in this world.
Apart from urging Governor Mbah’s colleagues at the state level to borrow this exemplary leaf from his already set legacy, chairmen of local governments are equally persuaded to contribute towards impacting on national economic efficiency growth by engaging and enhancing young school leavers, who are unemployed, to be skillfully equipped through vocational training programmes, to enable them be self-employed. Such a move will significantly contribute towards the drastic reduction of insecurity in the land (achieved through engagement of the idle hands of these youngsters, some of whom represent potent risks in terms of social vices that increase insecurity).
