Ishk Tolaram Foundation Calls for TVET Investment and AI Skills as 500 Young Nigerians Graduate

Five hundred young Nigerians graduated from an Ishk Tolaram Foundation vocational programme as the organization urged government, businesses, schools and development partners to work together on technical and vocational education and training.

The ceremony, themed “TVET in the Age of AI: Skills, Jobs, and Youth Livelihoods,” focused on the combination of practical trades, soft skills, work experience and entrepreneurship support. Participants trained in fashion, carpentry, masonry, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and solar installation.

Fifteen graduates also received business grants after taking part in the foundation’s accelerator programme and winning its business pitch competition. The cash awards ranged from N100,000 to N1.5 million. The foundation presented additional awards to participants who performed strongly in different skill areas.

Oje Ivagba, the foundation’s programme director in Nigeria, said artificial intelligence would continue to automate parts of the workplace, but many practical trades would still depend on human ability and creativity. “AI is changing how we work. Machines will automate. But while machines are powerful, they cannot weld. They cannot tailor. They cannot cook. They cannot repair. And they cannot design with a human touch,” he said.

Ivagba said the foundation has trained more than 2,000 young people through its skills programmes, and that more than 70% of graduates are employed or operate their own businesses. He said the organization has invested more than N20 million in tools through its alumni business support grant. The programme also provides technical knowledge, workplace experience, certification and assistance for graduates starting or expanding businesses. Ivagba told the new graduates to treat their certificates as a basis for continued learning, not as an endpoint.

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AI is changing how we work. Machines will automate. But while machines are powerful, they cannot weld. They cannot tailor. They cannot cook. They cannot repair. And they cannot design with a human touch.