…identifies coaching and pitch maintenance as job opportunities for youths
The Federal Government has said it is considering the integration of National Institute for Sports (NIS) training programmes into its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative to create jobs for young Nigerians and strengthen the country’s sports sector.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a meeting with the Director-General of the NIS, Comrade Philip Shaibu, where both officials explored ways to deepen collaboration between the education and sports sectors.
Alausa said integrating sports skills into the national vocational training programme would equip young Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant competencies, expand employment opportunities and support the development of a sustainable sports economy.
He identified coaching, groundskeeping, pitch maintenance, games instruction and sports-facility management as potential areas for vocational training, noting that investment in sports infrastructure must be matched by a skilled workforce capable of maintaining facilities to international standards.
The minister said incorporating basic training programmes at the NIS into the TVET framework could provide young people with accessible pathways to employment, subject to the necessary approvals and programme requirements.
He explained that training could be delivered through the institute’s centres across eight states, with programmes lasting up to six months considered where appropriate.
Alausa, however, said further consultations would be required to determine the framework for implementing the proposal.
He stressed that developing local expertise in sports-facility management would help Nigeria reduce its dependence on foreign personnel for specialised services while creating jobs for young people.
The minister cited the reported progress of the Federal Government’s TVET programme, which he said had trained or graduated more than 250,000 trainees through approximately 1,200 centres over the preceding 12 to 18 months.
According to him, about 98 per cent of the centres are privately operated, while participants receive a monthly stipend of ₦30,000.
He said extending the programme to sports-related occupations would enable more young Nigerians to acquire marketable skills while addressing workforce gaps in the sector.
Alausa also highlighted a common curricular framework developed in collaboration with the National Universities Commission, National Board for Technical Education, National Commission for Colleges of Education, sports experts, the private sector and the National Sports Commission.
The framework covers six areas: Sports and Exercise Science; Coaching and Development Science; Sports Management and Business; Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation; Sports Technology and Data Analytics; and Sports Law.
He said the framework was designed to support structured sports programmes in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, expanding opportunities beyond traditional physical education.
Earlier, Director-General of the NIS, Comrade Philip Shaibu, commended the minister for the ongoing education reforms and renewed emphasis on technical and vocational skills development.
Drawing on his experience as former deputy governor of Edo State, the NIS director-general stressed the importance of integrating sports into the school system, recalling an initiative in the state to allocate five per cent of the 30 per cent continuous assessment score in primary and secondary schools to sports.
He identified the shortage of qualified games masters and certified coaches as a major obstacle to grassroots sports development, warning that inadequate personnel could undermine efforts to discover and nurture sporting talents.
Shaibu also disclosed that the NIS had expanded its operations across the six geopolitical zones and graduated more than 1,000 coaches within a year.
He said the institute’s 2025–2035 strategic plan was aimed at improving its sustainability and reducing dependence on government funding.
According to him, the institute is working to revive its coaching, fitness and executive certificate programmes, strengthen coach certification, train groundsmen and develop career pathways for retiring athletes.
The NIS chief appealed to the Federal Ministry of Education to integrate the institute’s basic training programme into the national TVET framework and provide institutional support to expand its training capacity and financial sustainability.
Source: Sports Archives – New Telegraph
