The federal ministry of education has commenced a two-day capacity-building workshop for state project monitoring officers (PMOs) under the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme as part of preparations for the rollout of cohort 2.
The workshop, themed “Strengthening monitoring, compliance and programme delivery for cohort 2 implementation”, is aimed at enhancing oversight, transparency, compliance and programme delivery across accredited training centres nationwide.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop in Abuja, Adebayo Onigbanjo, national coordinator of special programmes under the minister of education, described the training as critical to consolidating the gains recorded under the programme.
Onigbanjo said the state PMOs serve as the ministry’s representatives in the field, with responsibility for monitoring accredited training centres, ensuring compliance with programme guidelines and verifying that trainees receive quality instruction.
He said the TVET programme remains one of the flagship initiatives under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), designed to equip Nigerians with practical and employable skills.
“TVET is one of the key pillars of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative and one of the flagship programmes designed to equip Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant and employable skills,” he said.
According to him, the workshop will ensure that monitoring officers are fully aligned with their responsibilities and equipped with the knowledge needed to support training centres effectively.
Onigbanjo said participants are being trained on the operation of biometric registration systems deployed across training centres to improve data integrity, beneficiary verification and accountability.
“Transparency remains at the heart of the TVET initiative. We are deliberately leveraging technology while maintaining human oversight to ensure accountability at every stage of implementation,” he said.
“Every trainee is biometrically registered, and all payments are made directly to beneficiaries’ bank accounts, thereby eliminating opportunities for abuse and ensuring that support reaches the intended recipients.”
He added that the programme currently has more than 1,600 accredited training centres spread across the country and present in nearly every local government area, making the role of monitoring officers increasingly important.
Also speaking, Odewunmi Olatunji, national project monitoring officer for TVET and IDEAS, said the workshop offers an opportunity to review lessons from the first phase of implementation and prepare for a more effective rollout of cohort 2.
Olatunji said the engagement provides a platform for direct interaction between national and state-level officers to identify challenges encountered during the first phase and develop practical solutions.
“This engagement allows us to receive feedback from officers who are directly involved in implementation at the state level,” he said.
“Their experiences are invaluable in helping us address gaps, improve coordination and ensure that challenges encountered during the first phase are not repeated in the next cycle.”
He added that the workshop brings together officials of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), representatives of biometric registration service providers and other partners involved in the programme.
According to him, discussions during the workshop focus on funding processes, payments to training centres and beneficiaries, compliance requirements, reporting frameworks, accreditation procedures and strategies for improving programme performance.
The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to building a skilled workforce through quality technical and vocational education, noting that effective monitoring and accountability remain central to the success and sustainability of the TVET programme.
The workshop is expected to produce a unified monitoring framework and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders ahead of the launch of cohort 2.
