Kaduna Opens 3 Skills Centers to Train 12,000 Workers a Year

Kaduna State is proving that investing in people's hands-on skills can transform entire communities. Governor Uba Sani has established three state-of-the-art training centers that will pump 12,000 newly certified artisans into the workforce every single year.

The facilities are strategically spread across all three of the state's senatorial districts in Soba, Rigachikun, and Samarun Kataf. Students learn in-demand trades like welding, aluminum fabrication, fashion design, and solar panel installation.

Vice President Kashim Shettima personally commended the governor's leadership, saying the Kaduna State Council on Skills "sets a benchmark for other sub-national entities." The National Council on Skills is already calling it the "Kaduna Model" and urging other states to copy the approach.

What makes this program special is its bottom-up design. Instead of top-down policies that never reach everyday Nigerians, these centers are planted right in local communities where people live and work.

The program goes beyond just teaching skills. Kaduna State is partnering with the National Board for Technical Education to ensure graduates receive nationally recognized certificates that actually help them get jobs.

The Ripple Effect

The impact extends far beyond the three new training centers. Governor Sani plans to transform Panteka Market, home to 3,800 artisans, into a full industrial hub focused on welding, fabrication, carpentry, joinery, and masonry.

This means thousands of existing workers will gain access to better tools, training, and networking opportunities. The market transformation could create a thriving ecosystem where experienced artisans mentor newcomers and collaborate on larger projects.

The national government sees Kaduna's approach as essential for reaching grassroots communities that traditional vocational programs miss. By creating a dedicated institutional framework, the state is showing how regional governments can directly address unemployment gaps.

The Vice President emphasized that harmonizing standards between the National Secretariat and state councils will help scale these interventions nationwide. If other states follow Kaduna's lead, Nigeria could see tens of thousands more skilled workers entering the economy each year.

Twelve thousand trained workers annually is just the beginning for a state that's betting big on human potential.