The number of applicants for Nigeria’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) entrance examinations has surged by nearly 300 per cent, increasing from 7,547 in 2024 to 30,000 in 2025.
This was disclosed by Dr Mohammed Mohammed, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), during a monitoring exercise at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Uromi, Edo State.
Dr Mohammed, who was represented by NABTEB’s Director of Research and Quality Assurance, Mr Pius Osaigbovo, attributed the massive increase to federal government-backed incentives targeting technical education.
“Federal government wants to give individuals a survival skill, a skill that is relevant, a skill that makes them employable and useful to themselves and society,” he said.
Dr Mohammed noted that successful students will receive two certificates at the end of the programme.
“At the end of the training, the candidates would be given dual certificates by NABTEB; the usual National Technical or Business Certificate (NTC/NBC) and the National Skills Qualification (NSQ), which is competency-based,” he said
He explained that the TVET programme spans three years and is structured to be more practical.
“In the TVET, we are going to have a three-year programme and it is going to be 80 per cent technical and 20 per cent theory,” he said.
NABTEB boss noted that only candidates who completed their registration online before the portal closed on June 12 were allowed to sit for the examinations
The Federal Government of Nigeria is making bold strides to transform the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector to tackle youth unemployment and bridge the gap between education and industry demands.
The government introduced a monthly stipend for students attending technical colleges nationwide as part of a broader plan to revive the sector and encourage young Nigerians to pursue practical skills that boost their employability.
The federal government received more than 90,000 applications in less than a week after the portal went live.
A key reform in the TVET curriculum now places 80 per cent emphasis on practical, hands-on learning, with only 20 per cent focused on theory to ensure that graduates are job-ready and equipped with relevant skills directly applicable in the workplace
