Empowering Individuals to Empower the Nation Nigeria: Implications for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Entrepreneurship Education and Information Communication Technology

Abstract

This paper examined strategies of empowering individuals to empower the nation with focus on Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Entrepreneurship Education (EE) and Information Communication Technology (ICT). It is established that from history TVE was not given its prominent place and that may have accounted for the slow and lagging nature of advancement in TVE. Consequently, future progress will be determined by the level of empowerment given to individuals in schools which is predicated upon level of empowerment of TVE teachers themselves. A number of strategies were identified as possible options for empowering learners and youths in Nigeria. Some of them include combining TVE with academic work till end of secondary education, vocationalisation, and work experience programmes (eg SIWES, youth apprenticeship and school based experience) and adjusting to effects of advance technology among others. With government’s political will and schools and teachers prepared for change, much could be achieved in empowering the nation.

Keywords: Technical Vocational Education and Training, Technical and Vocational Education, Vocationalsation, Information Communication Technology, Work Experience, Empowering Individuals, Empowering the Nation