Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has approved N810 million in startup support for 4,050 graduates of the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development.
Each graduate will receive N200,000 to assist with acquiring working tools, starting businesses and meeting other immediate needs associated with employment.
The governor announced the intervention on Thursday at the maiden graduation ceremony of the institute held at the Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Campus in Rigachikun, Kaduna State.
Sani said the funds would be administered through the Kaduna State Enterprise Development Agency (KADDA).
He said the money could also be used for professional registration, transportation and other expenses required to secure employment or establish businesses.
The governor said the state government was moving beyond skills acquisition by partnering with companies and industries to create employment, apprenticeship, internship, mentorship and subcontracting opportunities for 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 said the graduates, who qualified for National Skills Qualification Level II, represented a new generation of skilled citizens capable of contributing to the economy.
He said the government was building an ecosystem that would enable young people to become self-reliant, women to establish viable businesses, persons living with disabilities to participate fully in economic activities and artisans to develop globally competitive skills.
The governor disclosed that the institute currently operates three campuses: Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Campus, Rigachikun; Abubakar Dangiwa Umar Campus, Soba; and Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa Campus, Samaru Kataf.
He described the institute as an engine of economic transformation, saying its training combines practical skills with theory, literacy, numeracy,
entrepreneurship and soft skills.
The graduates were trained in 14 trades, including electrical installation, welding and fabrication, aluminium fabrication, computer hardware repair, catering and hospitality, masonry, refrigeration and air-conditioning.
Other areas include 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) had enabled it to train students according to National Occupational Standards and award National Skills Qualifications under the Nigerian Skills Qualifications Framework.
He noted that training across the three campuses was tuition-free, with emphasis on women, persons with disabilities and young people from underserved communities.
The governor also disclosed the establishment of the Kaduna State Council on Skills to provide an institutional framework for sustaining the state’s skills acquisition programme.
He said Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Council on Skills had recognised the approach as the “Kaduna Model” for grassroots skills development.
Sani cited Ibrahim Abubakar Jikamshi, a graduate of the institute, who emerged best in welding and was named Overall Best Artisan of the Year at the 6th National Construction Artisans Award in Abuja in February 2026.
He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the administration and recalled that the President commissioned the institutes in June 2025.
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