Technical education is still underrated in Nigeria, especially by individuals unaware of the promise of gaining a technical diploma or degree in Nigeria. If you’re reading this article, you must know about that potential, and you’re now looking to tap into it.
Thankfully, we’re here to help. From technical secondary schools to unity schools and tertiary institutions, we’ve evaluated all your options for gaining secondary or tertiary education in Nigeria, so you won’t have to do that.
After our evaluations, we curated the nine best technical schools in Lagos, and we’ll show you that list in this post. Before getting to the list, however, let’s look at the reasons why technical education is beneficial in Nigeria and how to secure admission into a technical college in the state.
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Benefits of Technical Education
Many Nigerians, especially students, tend to look down upon technical education, as it’s not considered top-tier education by Nigerian standards. However, technical education holds several benefits, both to the students receiving it and the Nigerian professional landscape in general.
Here are the most important benefits of technical education in Nigeria:
1. Less expensive
Thanks to the high demand for technical professionals in Nigeria, the Nigerian government has several initiatives to subsidize the cost of technical education in the country. As a result, students of technical schools in Lagos and around Nigeria end up paying less than regular students for tuition.
However, this benefit only holds if you’re considering a public technical school. Private technical schools in Lagos are unsubsidized, so they may be just as expensive, if not even more expensive than your regular schools.
2. Straightforward and specific career paths
Technical schools typically train students in real-life vocational skills they can take up immediately after graduation, eliminating the hassle of having to look for potential career paths after completing their programs.
You decide who will have a smoother and more straightforward career path: a Welding and Fabrication Technology graduate from Yabatech or a Business Administration graduate from the University of Lagos?
3. Encourages entrepreneurship
Using our example from the preceding point, I’d love to ask another question. Who do you think is more like to become an entrepreneur from our two graduates from above? To help you answer the question, all you need to start a welding business are your welding equipment and a small shop. On the other hand, there must be a business before a business administrator can come in.
In short, vocational courses give you a more straightforward path to entrepreneurship than the regular courses a non-technical university offers. So, if being your boss is high on your priority list, you wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to enroll in one of the best technical schools in Lagos.
How to Apply for Technical Schools in Lagos
Gaining admission into a technical school in Lagos isn’t difficult unless you’re a lady trying to study at the Institute for Industrial Technology (see details in the article). If that isn’t a challenge for you, here are the steps required to apply for most technical schools in Lagos:
1. Obtain the academic requirements
Most technical schools in Lagos require aspirants to have at least five credit passes in any O’level examination, including in English, Mathematics, and any vocational subject. If you’re seeking admission into a secondary technical school, a primary school leaving certificate or common entrance examination result slip should suffice.
2. Buy the required forms
In most cases, it’s not forms, but a single registration form to indicate your interest in attending the school. Registration forms are usually cheap compared to the fees you’ll have to pay after securing admission. For most state-owned and FG-owned technical schools in Lagos, the fees should be around N2,000 to N5,000.
3. Attend interviews or tests
Some technical colleges require students to undertake extra examinations or tests to qualify for admission. IIT, for instance, requires you to undergo a medical test and submit a medical report, while the Federal Science and Technical College will conduct a qualification test designed to shortlist the best candidates and eliminate the rest.
Normally, there should be no extra requirements for students seeking admission into any of the technical schools in Lagos. It’s also essential to note that securing admission into a secondary school is naturally easier than making the shortlist for a tertiary technical college in Lagos.
Best Technical Schools in Lagos
There are more technical schools in Lagos than in any other Nigerian state, and that’s a natural fact of life, as it’s the most populous state in Nigeria. If becoming a technician is your goal, here are the best picks in Lagos:
1. Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba
The Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba (not to be confused with Yaba Tech) is an FG-owned technical college initially established to train craftsmen and technicians for Lagos’s infrastructural goals. Founded as Yaba Trade Center, the college has now been rebranded to its current name with provisions for both junior and secondary education.
As a Federal Government Unity college, the school admits students using a quota system designed by the Federal Ministry of Education, and school fees are also paid directly to the Federal Government. Lagos residents looking to study through the technical route at a Unity School will quickly realize this school is one of their only options among the technical schools in Lagos.
2. Yaba College of Technology, Lagos
This list would be grossly incomplete if I didn’t think to mention Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech) among the best technical schools in Lagos. Not only is it excellent, but it’s also one of the most popular technical schools in Lagos, if not the most popular.
While Yabatech’s main focus is on technical courses like Welding and Fabrication Technology, it has recently started awarding degrees in some programs, thanks to its affiliation with some Lagos universities. If your goal is to attend a technical college for your tertiary studies, Yabatech is one of the very best out there.
3. Institute for Industrial Technology, Lagos
The Institute for Industrial Technology is one of the foremost technical schools in Lagos that specializes in electrical and mechanical programs for senior secondary school leavers. Operating as a tertiary institution, the school offers Electromechanics, Electrotechnics, and Mechatronics as its major programs.
One sore tooth about the school is its requirement for all applicants to be male. Although it’s almost inconceivable in the 21st century, IIT doesn’t admit women, and it also doesn’t admit males less than 16 years old. In addition to those requirements, the school requires aspirants to have credits in Mathematics and Physics, pass the physical interviews and written tests, and be of sound medical state.
4. Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka
This college is slightly different from most others we’ve observed on this list because it’s not a technical institution, it’s an education institution that focuses on technical education. In simpler terms, FCET Akoka doesn’t teach you how to become a technician; rather, it teaches you how to teach people to become technicians.
Like most other technical education colleges, the school only awards a National Certificate of Education (NCE) to students and is the only technical school in Lagos awarding it. It’s not your best bet if you want to be a technician, but for individuals looking to teach technicians, this is undoubtedly one of the best technical schools in Lagos.
5. Government Technical College, Ikotun
In a bid to further the adoption of technical education in Lagos, the state government established five technical colleges in five strategic locations in the state. One of these colleges is the Government Technical College, Ikotun, to cater to the needs of Lagosians around Alimosho LGA.
The school is similar to its other four siblings in staff structure, aesthetics, and general educational syllabus. It’s also one of the most subsidized technical schools in Lagos if you aim to achieve technical education insanely cheaply.
6. Government Technical College, Ikorodu
Government Technical College, Ikorodu, is also one of the five technical schools in Lagos established by the Lagos state government to improve access to manpower in the technical sector in Lagos. As expected, it operates a similar structure as all its sister institutions and is also heavily subsidized by the Lagos State Government.
7. Government Technical College, Agidingbi
Established as Technical College, Ikeja, this school was designed to provide willing students around the Ikeja axis with sound technical education. It was one of the only technical schools in Lagos that existed before the government’s establishment of the Big Five, and it only saw a rebrand that categorized it with its sister institutions.
Located in the state’s capital city (Ikeja), GTC Agidingbi is undoubtedly one of the most important technical schools in Lagos, and its facilities and departments subtly show that superiority. If this school offers the program you’re after, why look somewhere else?
8. Government Technical College, Odomola, Epe
Government Technical College, Odomola was formerly Lagos State Manpower Development Center before it was rebranded into GTC Epe, making it one of the oldest technical schools in Lagos. From its name, you can already tell it has been converted into one of the state government’s family of technical schools, but it hasn’t lost its essence nonetheless.
Offering programs like Block Laying, bricklaying, and concrete, Electrical Installation and Maintenance Work, Fabrication and Welding, and Plumbing and Pipe Fitting, GTC Odomola remains one of the best technical schools in Lagos. Plus, the fees are insanely affordable; the Lagos State Government is already paying most of it.
9. Government Technical College. Ado-Soba
With the powerful motto: “There’s Dignity in Labour,” it’s clear that GTC Ado-Soba isn’t around to play. Like its sister institutions, it’s a state-owned technical school that’s open to students right after their secondary school education.
It offers a similar collection of programs as its counterpart in Odomola, but it also offers certificates in Graphic Arts, Furniture Design and Construction, and Catering Craft Practice, among others. While it’s not more prestigious than say Yabatech or IIT, for instance, it’s churning out excellent technicians and craftsmen year in and year out.
Conclusion
The Lagos State Government has done a lot of work in redefining the landscape of technical schools in Lagos, and some of that work is already paying off. If your goal is to pursue a technical course, here are the best technical schools in Lagos for you, with most of them owned by the state government.
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