The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has signed a partnership agreement with the Construction Artisan Training School (CATS) to train one million Nigerians in construction skills by 2030, with a strong focus on youths and women across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the NDE headquarters on Monday during a meeting between officials of both organisations.
Speaking at the event, CATS Team Leader, Olayemi Rotimi-Shodimu, thanked the Director General of NDE, Silas Ali Agara, for supporting the collaboration and opening the door for the initiative.
“Nobody has shown CATS the love NDE has, and we are excited to collaborate,” he said, noting that the partnership is designed to create opportunities for young Nigerians and women who are often overlooked in the labour market.
Rotimi-Shodimu explained that the programme will focus on practical construction skills training to prepare participants for real work opportunities. According to him, trainees will be deployed to construction sites across the country for hands-on learning.
He added that the initiative will also help address the shortage of locally trained artisans, a gap that has allowed many construction jobs to be dominated by foreign workers.
Director General of NDE, Silas Ali Agara, described the collaboration as an important step toward fulfilling the agency’s mandate of job creation and skills development.
He said the partnership is “changing the narrative” and praised the CATS initiative as “goal-driven and impactful.”
