Sector Skills Council for Building in Nigeria (SSCBIN) has said it will develop a comprehensive plan to upskill at least one million artisans for the construction industry in the next five years.
The council noted that the plan, which could be expanded with sponsorship, would map out ways to develop a national skills database for the building industry, facilitate the establishment and accreditation of training centres across the country, and implement a certification programme recognised by employers and stakeholders.
SSCBIN President, Dr Samson Opaluwah, during the council’s inauguration at the weekend, noted the construction industry as a vital sector of the economy, contributing about 12 per cent to the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Q1, 2023, employing the second highest number of Nigerians after the agriculture sector, with a leading growth indicator for infrastructure development.
However, he said the sector also faced numerous challenges, including a shortage of skilled labour arising partly from the ageing of practitioners, a slow rate of evolution of skills to match contemporary practices and a gestation period of attaining competence relative to skills in other sectors.
“It is important to state that SSCBIN is private sector-led with 60 per cent of the membership drawn from the private sector, comprising all the key stakeholders in the build ecosystem of the country. Some of the key roles of SSCBIN as approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), include identifying skill development needs and cataloguing skill types, addressing the skills gap and promoting the development of a highly skilled and competent workforce, developing a sector skills development plan and maintaining a skills inventory, developing skill competency standards and qualifications and participating in accreditation and standardisation of training providers and training delivery,” he said.
Other critical roles expected by the council, he added, are promoting excellence in training and service delivery, and establishing a process of coordinating and incorporating emerging trends in skills development.
According to him, the council has developed occupational standards in the trade areas levels one to three of plumbing, masonry, painting and decoration, tiling, electrical installation, carpentry and joinery, welding, paint making, scaffolding and steel formwork.
“It is also worthy of note that the standards on aluminium cladding and floor covering, levels one to five are in progress. Our council will serve as a platform for collaboration among stakeholders in the sector, including government agencies, educational institutions, industry associations, employers of labour, manufacturers, professional bodies, regulators and workers’ representatives.
“We will facilitate the development of industry-driven training programmes, certification standards and accreditation mechanisms to ensure that our workforce is equipped with relevant up-to-date and state-of-the-art skills,” he added.
