By Musaddik Aminu
Skill acquisition is a type of learning in which repletion and endurance is required. Three types of skills are;
-Function skill; which are abilities that are inherited, developed through experience and learning.
-Self management skill; are the behavior you developed in learning to cope with the people and conditions in your environment.
-Special knowledge skill; this has to do with mastering a specific body of information related to a particular type of work, profession, occupation, education or leisure activity.
For the purpose of this topic, I will focus on the third type of special knowledge skill. In recent years, in Nigeria, it has been identified that students graduate from School and there is a high level of unemployment hence the need for skill acquisition for youth. To reduce the rate of unemployment, in 1987 the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was established to reduce unemployment through training people in various skills.
Before now, skills were majorly taught in technical colleges but in recent times skill acquisition has been introduced in secondary Schools as entrepreneurship. These entrepreneurship focused programs will teach Students life skills that will help them create jobs for themselves, empower them, increase the standard of living of the people bridging the gap of unemployment in the country which in turn leads to economic growth.
The types of skill acquisition introduced into the school curriculum are; catering, tailoring, animal husbandry, data processing etc.
These skills acquisition schemes are to a large extent to the youth. Skill acquisition should be made mandatory in secondary School and tertiary institutions. Equipment needed for training should be provided by the government. The teachers should be trained on how to use the equipment.
Musaddik is of Sheikh Abubakar Gummi Academy, Abuja
