Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has approved a financial support package of N200,000 for each of the 4,050 graduates of the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development, bringing the total value of the intervention to N810 million.
Drivetvnews gathered that the governor announced the initiative on Thursday during the institute’s maiden graduation ceremony held at the Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Campus in Rigachikun.
He explained that the funds would be administered through the Kaduna State Enterprise Development Agency and would help graduates transition from training into productive employment or entrepreneurship.
According to Sani, beneficiaries can use the money to purchase essential work tools, provide initial working capital, complete professional registration or cover transportation expenses while seeking employment opportunities.
The governor also disclosed that the state government was engaging companies and industries to create opportunities for direct employment, apprenticeships, internships, mentorship, subcontracting and other structured engagements for the graduates.
“We are also developing a digital platform to connect graduates with employers and track employment outcomes. Our measure of success will ultimately go beyond enrolment and graduation figures; it will be the number of graduates employed, enterprises created, incomes improved, contracts secured and communities transformed,” he said.
Sani noted that the graduates, having qualified for National Skills Qualification Level II, represented a new generation of skilled citizens capable of creating value for themselves, their families, communities and the wider economy.
He said his administration was working to build an ecosystem that would enable young people to become self-reliant, help women turn vocational skills into businesses, support persons with disabilities to participate fully in the economy and enable artisans to progress from informal work to competitive craftsmanship.
The governor said the institute operates three campuses: the Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Campus in Rigachikun, the Abubakar Dangiwa Umar Campus in Soba and the Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Campus in Samaru Kataf.
According to him, the institute was established as part of efforts to drive economic transformation by equipping residents with practical skills that are useful within Kaduna, competitive nationally and relevant internationally.
He explained that the training combines practical work with theory, literacy, numeracy, entrepreneurship and soft skills, with students trained across 14 trade areas.
The areas include electrical installation, welding and fabrication, aluminium fabrication, computer hardware repairs and maintenance, catering and hospitality, masonry, refrigeration and air conditioning, fashion design and garment making, carpentry and joinery, painting and decoration, tiling, plumbing and pipe fitting, solar installation and automotive mechatronics.
Sani said the institute’s partnership with the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) ensures that its programmes comply with National Occupational Standards and allows graduates to obtain the National Skills Qualification under the Nigerian Skills Qualifications Framework.
He stressed that training at all three campuses is provided free of tuition, with special attention given to women, persons with disabilities and young people from underserved communities.
The governor added that the state had established an institutional framework to sustain its skills development programme, including the Kaduna State Council on Skills, which he chairs.
He said Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Council on Skills had recognised Kaduna’s approach, describing the “Kaduna Model” as a potential template for grassroots, bottom-up skills acquisition.
Sani also highlighted the performance of one of the institute’s trainees, Ibrahim Abubakar Jikamshi, who emerged first in welding at the 6th National Construction Artisans Award in Abuja in February 2026 and was subsequently named Overall Best Artisan of the Year.
The governor expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for supporting his administration, recalling that the President commissioned the skills institutes in June 2025 as part of efforts to harness the potential of Kaduna’s young population.
