VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION: A CATALYST FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN A DISTRESSED ECONOMY

<doi>10.24250/jpe/2/2025/MOAS/NOO/</doi>

Abstract

This paper examines vocational and technical education: a
catalyst for socio-economic development in a distressed
economy. The paper discusses the various ways that
vocational and technical education can serve as catalyst
for socio-economic development in a distressed economy.
It draws attention to the purposeful efforts made to ensure
that the country's potential is realized as well as the
significance of vocational and technical education in the
process of national development. Even for those who
dropped out of high school or post-secondary education,
there were always employment available with perks
throughout the early 1950s and 1970s. The remarkable
shift in the job market demands that vocational education
programs be prioritized and expanded in order to address
the issue of unemployment, which has grown to be a
significant social crisis in Nigeria. According to the study,
Nigeria must increase its investments in vocational and
technical education if it hopes to fulfill its Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and become a part of the
technology-driven global community. Ultimately, the
government and the private sector should collaborate,
according to this report, in order to sustain and grow
vocational education and training in Nigeria. The
programme's vision and mission should be clearly stated
by VTE stakeholders, and they should be completely
carried out. In order to maintain the commitment of
employers and the business sector to VTE, legislators had
to propose legislation pertaining to fresh reform measures.