The Federal Government has commenced a two-day capacity-building workshop for State Project Monitoring Officers (PMOs) under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, in a renewed push to strengthen oversight, transparency, and delivery ahead of the rollout of Cohort 2. The training, held in Abuja and themed “Strengthening……
The Federal Government has commenced a two-day capacity-building workshop for State Project Monitoring Officers (PMOs) under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, in a renewed push to strengthen oversight, transparency, and delivery ahead of the rollout of Cohort 2.
The training, held in Abuja and themed “Strengthening Monitoring, Compliance and Programme Delivery for Cohort 2 Implementation,” brought together monitoring officers from across the country to improve field supervision of training centres and ensure quality skills delivery under the initiative.
This was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser (Media and Communications), Ikharo Attah.
Speaking at the opening session, the National Coordinator of Special Programmes under the Minister of Education, Adebayo Onigbanjo, said the workshop was a critical step in consolidating gains recorded in the first phase of the programme.
He said State PMOs play a central role in implementation, describing them as the Ministry’s “eyes and ears” in the field.
“TVET is one of the key pillars of the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI) and one of the flagship programmes designed to equip Nigerians with practical, industry-relevant, and employable skills,” Onigbanjo said.
He explained that the training was designed to ensure uniform standards in monitoring responsibilities across states, particularly in tracking compliance at accredited centres and validating beneficiary participation.
Onibanjo also noted that participants were being trained on the use of biometric registration systems deployed across training centres to strengthen accountability and data integrity.
“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. 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 stated.
He further disclosed that with more than 1,600 accredited training centres nationwide, effective monitoring had become essential to sustaining programme quality and resolving operational challenges in real time.
Also speaking, the National Project Monitoring Officer for TVET and IDEAS, Odewunmi Olatunji, said the workshop provides an opportunity to review lessons from the first phase and strengthen coordination ahead of Cohort 2.
According to him, the engagement creates a platform for direct feedback between national and state officers to address implementation gaps.
“This engagement allows us to receive feedback from officers who are directly involved in implementation at the state level. 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,” Olatunji said.
He added that the workshop also includes key stakeholders such as the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), biometric service providers, and other implementation partners, with discussions covering funding processes, accreditation, compliance frameworks, and payment systems.
The Federal Ministry of Education reaffirmed its commitment to building a skilled workforce through technical and vocational education, stressing that strong monitoring systems remain central to the success of the TVET programme.
The workshop is expected to produce a unified monitoring framework to guide implementation as preparations intensify for the nationwide rollout of Cohort 2.
