FG Unveils 26 New Trade Areas in Technical Education Reform

By Babatunji Wusu

• 26 new trade areas to take effect from 2025/2026 session

• All FSTCs to transition into Federal Technical Colleges

• New subject “Citizenship and Heritage Studies” also introduced

The Federal Government has announced a sweeping reform of the nation’s technical education curriculum, unveiling 26 new trade areas that will be implemented from the 2025/2026 academic session.

According to the Ministry of Education, the overhaul is aimed at aligning technical skills with industry demands while easing curriculum overload for students in federal technical colleges.

Folasade Boriowo, spokesperson for the ministry, explained that all Federal Science and Technical Colleges (FSTCs) will now become full-fledged Federal Technical Colleges, with students required to take one trade course alongside general subjects.

Education Minister Tunji Alausa stressed that the reform is designed to produce a technically skilled and industry-ready workforce.

The newly approved trade areas include bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, GSM and computer hardware repairs, refrigeration and air-conditioning, mechanised agriculture, solar PV installation, fashion design, aquaculture, welding, creative media production, social media content creation, automobile CNG conversion, leather works, and more.

Alongside the trades, the ministry also introduced a new subject, Citizenship and Heritage Studies, which merges Nigerian history, civic education, and social studies to ground students in national values and prepare them for active citizenship.