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The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has inaugurated the Sector Skill Council (SSC) for beauty, wellness and care under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).
At an event in Abuja, the NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje said that the inauguration signified the formal recognition of one of Nigeria’s most dynamic yet largely informal industries.
The sector, he said contribute significantly to national employment, but had until now operated without a unified framework for training, certification, or quality assurance.
Bugaje noted that the beauty and wellness industry possesses enormous potential to drive employment and boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through structured vocational education and certification.
“This sector holds a lot of promise for the employability of young Nigerians both girls and boys alike.
“We must formalise the thousands working informally in salons and spas across the country, introduce proper standards and quality assurance and use Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to certify their competencies.
“That is how we will transform livelihoods and renew hope,” he said.
Bugaje further explained that under the NBTE’s leadership, the new council would collaborate with regulatory agencies and ministries to establish industry-specific standards and create a robust skills ecosystem for beauty, wellness and care, both locally and for international placement.
He added that the council would soon be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to enable it to operate formally and engage directly with ministries, development partners, and private sector investors.
On her part, Kemi Lewis, the newly appointed Chairperson of the Sector Skill Council on Beauty, Wellness and Care, expressed deep commitment to the council’s mission.
Describing her new role as “an enormous responsibility,” she pledged to lead a results-driven council that would identify skill demands, systemise training and align certification processes with industry realities.
“Our goal is to match what the economy needs with what we train.
“Once we can systemise training and create clear certification pathways, we’ll be able to generate meaningful employment for thousands of Nigerian youths,” Lewis said.
Delivering a keynote address entitled: “The Future of the Sector Skill Council and Nigeria’s Beauty, Wellness and Care Industry”, Uche Umana, a renowned beauty business consultant traced the journey that led to the creation of this long-awaited body.
“For more than 60 years, our industry grew without a framework, from corner salons to luxury spas, from apprenticeships to beauty schools. Yet we had no official structure defining or measuring our skills.
“That changed the day Prof. Bugaje opened the NBTE’s doors to our industry and gave us a seat at the national table of technical and vocational education,” she said.
She explained that the council’s creation marked the industry’s transition from informal craftsmanship to recognised professional standards under the NSQF.
“For the first time, when a beauty professional says, ‘I am certified,’ it will mean something, backed by national policy, measurable standards and recognised qualifications.
“This is how countries build industries that last and now Nigeria’s beauty sector joins that global league,’’ Umana declared.
Umana further said that the new council would collaborate with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to standardise training, ensure safety compliance and integrate beauty-related occupations into the national job classification system.
She underscored the vital role of Quality Assurance Assessors (QAAs), calling them the “engine of standardisation.”
“Without certified assessors, certificates are just paper.
“QAAs uphold credibility, improve business operations, protect consumers and ensure every graduate meets the same benchmark nationwide. That is how beauty moves from hustle to heritage,” she stated.
The council’s composition has more than 70 per cent of members drawn from the private sector, reflecting NBTE’s strategy to make the private sector the true driver of vocational standards.(NAN)
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