The Nation Newspaper

Tag: skills

  • NITAD to fill skills gap with technical, soft skills

    he Nigerian Institute of Training & Development (NITAD) has trained and inducted over 6,000 members.

    Its President, Mrs. Janet Jolaoso, said the training has taken a lot of youths out of  the unemployment market and also aided graduates of universities and other higher institutions to acquire soft skills to be entrepreneurs and employers of labour.

    She spoke at the Special Induction Ceremony, which is the 22nd edition in the series of the institute’s induction programmes and the second Postgraduate Diploma in Training and Development Graduation Ceremony in Lagos, over the weekend.

    She said the institute, which has not been  chartered awaits approval from the National Assembly and has begun the Mandatory Continuous Professional Education (MCPE) programme for individuals, corporate members.

    Efforts are also on to embark on re-certification exercise of its members including the introduction of professional licences.

    Earlier, Chairman, Annual Conference Trainers Conference, Mr. Oluwaseyi Kuton, said the institute was collaborating with both the Lagos and Ogun states’  Ministry of Education to enroll secondary school students and encourage them to identify their interests and horn their skills through technical education.

    According to him, students are encouraged to identify their passion and pursue it.

    Kuton regretted the identifiable educational and skill gaps in the education system, noting that the economy cannot grow with the teeming number of unemployed graduates that are not equipped for the market place.

    He suggested that since there are limited jobs, school leavers should be trained in soft skills to make them successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour including training in character and attitude to work.

    Kuton encouraged those who already have skills to enroll with NITAD to enhance their skills as the market place is limited and highly competitive.

    For the Acting Registrar, Mr. Victor Kayode, there is a need for school leavers to identify their special skills while acquiring additional ones.

    He reiterated the need for people to have extra skills in order to stand out and be employers of labour.

    Kayode disclosed that NITAD was collaborating with some state governments to train young school leavers in skills that will enable them stand out in the market place.

    A graduand, Ms Regina Orumbie, said the training has given her an edge and made her a better document controller and trainer in the education sector where she works.

    For Adeyemi Joseph, though the training was rigorous, it taught him various learning strategies and development methodologies.

    According to him, the various skills acquired will enable him train others and also improve his profitability.

  • Why youths should put skills over jobs

    SIR: World Youth Skills Day brings youths a time to check efforts they have made towards personal capacity development. As it’s seen in the world today, youths are one of the most under-represented subsets of the global population when it comes to decision making. This is not due to under-population of youths but a jaundiced, stigmatized perception of youths by the ruling class all around the world.

    Although the terms “youth” and “young people” are conceived differently by people in different parts of the world, they most commonly refer to adolescents and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24. Other sources extend this age bracket to include people of ages 29 or 35 but one factor is common to all; youth is the period (transition stage) between childhood and adulthood. Demographically, youths have a global population of 1.1 billion claims a whopping 18 percent of the entire world’s population; 60 percent of which live in Asia; 15 percent, in Africa; 10 percent, in Latin America and the Caribbean; and the remaining 15 percent, in developed countries and regions.

    These facts echo the unparalleled significance of youth in our world today and reiterate their importance in planning for future generation.

    Unfortunately, rather than being major stakeholders in devising global developmental programmes, youths themselves are the subject of global challenges with many facing possibilities of early marriage, early childbearing, incomplete education and the threat of HIV and AIDS.

    To understand the severity, these statistics from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs would paint a better picture. Approximately 238 million youth live in extreme poverty—that is, they live on less than $1 a day; 462 million youth survive on less than $2 a day. About 255 million young people live in the 19 countries with the largest poverty gaps; 15 of these 19 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. Experts estimate that, in the 49 countries classified as having a high proportion of undernourished people, 110 million youth live in hunger. About 133 million youth in the world are illiterate. Youth comprise 41 percent of the world’s unemployed people.

    These figures shouldn’t be what describe the supposed most vibrant age bracket of the world!

    What can be done to address this?  The exact reason why #WorldYouthSkillsDay is necessary to chart a way forward.

    Poverty is a state of penury and lack. The only antidote to it is earning through just means. The perception of “go-to-school, get-a-job-after” has led many youths to believe skill acquisition is not for them which leaves the world with a teeming population of “clueless youths”. It is high time youths acquired skills and take up vocations they are passionate about and lifts them well beyond the poverty and marginalization indices.

     

    • Alli Sheriffdeen Abiola,

    Ibadan.

  • Group trains youths on peace-building skills

    Building the capacity of young people to become peace-builders within their immediate community was the focus of a one-day capacity building training for young people on Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention organised by Galaxy4Peace in Surulere, Lagos.  The training brought together 15 young advocates from the University of Lagos and other civil society groups. It featured lectures on the importance of peace-building, peace-building activities, conflict prevention, preventive diplomacy, post-conflict prevention and early warning system and signs while highlights of the training included task breakout session and planning of new advocacy campaigns for execution.

    Speaking at the event, the Project Lead, Galaxy4Peace Precious Ajunwa said the training was aimed at introducing new sets of young people into peace-building business, targets to raise young people’s awareness of the dangers of violence; the role young people need to play in contributing their quota in promoting peace, thereby preparing them as peace leaders in their respective communities.

    Educating the participants on why the organisation was established, Ajunwa noted that the vision keyed into young people as tool in countering violent extremism-focusing on projects the organisation run to promote the sustainable development goal No 16 which is “Peace, Justice and Strong Institution”.

    She stressed that there is no alternative to non-violence in solving conflicts.

    “We welcome new youth recruitment into #Youth4Peace Movement to counter violent extremism. We aim to raise young people’s awareness of the dangers of violent extremism, develop their leadership abilities and prepare them as peace leaders in their respective schools and communities,” she said.

    In his lecture entitled “Volunteering as a Tool for Sustainable Development” convener of Climate Wednesday, Olumide Idowu  noted that volunteer speak for our future; hence “volunteering gives you your next opportunity; get focused and know that you are priceless”.

    Sharing his insight on youth engagement in sustainable development, David Ogundero of Galaxy4Peace emphasised that the overall success of the Sustainable Development Goals depends on youth engagement because young people, if equipped, have the right capacity to drive positive change in their communities and countries.

  • Lagos govt, Bridge Academies partner on tech skills

    The Lagos State government has partnered a group of not-for-profit low-fee schools, Bridge International Academies, on hi-tech education skills.

    The partnership culminated in a conference for promoting the application of tech tools to improve the quality of education.

    The conference was a social sector open house in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Education and Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.

    Since its establishment in Nigeria in 2015, Bridge International Academies has been championing the use of hi-tech tools to improve quality of education in rural areas.

  • 10,000 youths to undergo skills development training

    10,000 youths to undergo skills development training

    The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to begin the second phase of its National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

    The scheme is under SMEDAN’s National Enterprises Development  Programme ( NEDEP) training  in 18 states.

    A statement by the SMEDAN’s Corporate Affairs Unit said the flag off ceremony would be performed by the agency’s Director-General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda.

    The NIDSP programme is under a tripartite arrangement among ITF, SMEDAN and the Bank of Industry (BOI).

    The training is designed to cover 10, 000 participants, who will be trained in 54 centres across the 18 states.

    Earlier this year, SMEDAN trained over 10, 000 graduates of ITF vocational skills training on entrepreneurship and business development under the NIDSP programme.

  • 78 ex-militants trained in entrepreneurial skills

    Seventy-Eight ex-Niger Delta militants have been trained in entrepreneurial skills at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

    According to the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Adebiyi Daramola, 50 of the militants who were trained in welding and fabrication had graduated, while 28 of them are currently undergoing training in agriculture production.

    Speaking at the convocation briefing in Akure, through the Chairman, Ceremonials Committee of the university, Prof Olaniyi Okunlola, the V-C said the university collaborated with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for the training exercise.

    He said the Niger-Delta militants were trained by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies of the university, stressing that the training would make the militants to be self-reliant in order to be useful for their families and the society.

    Prof. Daramola, who noted that the Niger-Delta militants trained by the university are of good conduct, stressed the need for national environmental development by the Federal Government.

    While giving a breakdown of the graduating students for the 28th Convocation ceremony, the don said 85 of them bagged first-class, 1,044 made second-class (Upper Division), 1,274 in

    second-class (Lower Division), 453 had third-class, while 33 had Pass.

    Besides, he said a total of 105 will bag the university’s Ph.D degrees, 731 hold Master’s degree and 40 will obtain the Post- Graduate Diploma Certificate of the university.

    He revealed that the President of African Development Bank (ADB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina and a German scholar, Prof. Rainer Horn are receiving the university’s honorary doctorate degree.

    Prof. Daramola hinted that a student, Ali Abdul-Hafiz of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering emerged the overall best graduating student of the university for the 2015/2016 academic session, with a CGPA of 4.89.

    He said as part of the convocation ceremonies, 10 different projects executed by school management would be inaugurated.

    Among the projects are Prof Albert Ilemobade Library, Advancement Centre Building, 1,000-Seater LT Mini Campus Multi-purpose Hall and Shopping Complex.

    Prof. Daramola assured that adequate security arrangements had been put in place to ensure hitch-free convocation ceremonies.

  • Steady decline in research skills

    Research, as the name connotes, is an organised study; a methodological investigation into a subject in order to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discover.

    Research is key among other base upon which the quality of a nation’s education are measured. Thus, its importance among students and institutions cannot be overemphasised. To demonstrate further the importance of research in tertiary institutions, it is a prerequisite for students in their final year to take courses on different research skills and methodologies, which they are made to conduct on contending issues in the contemporary society.

    This is done for students to be qualified for graduation from tertiary institutions, thereby contributing to knowledge and development of the country. The students’ researches are supervised by academic staff. Thus, topics for these theses are crafted by students and submitted for scrutiny and approval by their supervisors or a panel set up, while the students defend the topics. They also defend project proposals and finally the thesis itself. These processes are usually undergone at the undergraduate, master and doctoral degree levels.

    Amidst these efforts, it has become a worrisome trend that students have deviated from the tradition of writing their projects themselves. Instead, resort to what is called “copy and paste” – the habit of duplicating or plagiarising works that have already been done by others. Given that the advent of new technologies has eased the entire process, students prefer to surf the Internet and get topics of their choice with complete materials. What they do is to copy verbatim and give the plagiarised materials to their supervisors, who in turn approve the work.

    In most cases, students go to other universities and get ready-made theses. Only students who might be considered intelligent would make some changes in the case study areas of the projects. Lecturers also play very important role here, as it is common now that they give students project topics and materials to just copy and submit as new works.

    In some instances, lecturers unfortunately tell the students not to bother themselves as there is no single area in a particular field that a research has not been carried out. The question is, are they encouraging the students on research or killing their morale?

    However, project works are intended to help students build themselves in research and to enable them contribute to the development of knowledge and the society. That is why students must state categorically the significance of their researches.

    What make students do all these, I think, is the attitudes of lecturers, because they seem to underplay their roles as supervisors. Lecturers are given courses on research, but they never mind to teach students appropriate skills needed in conducting qualitative and quantitative researches. However, students are rushed to present chapters 1 to 5. In this case, I wonder what the students will write and take to the supervisors. Unless the lecturers give the students projects to copy or the students surf the Internet and get completed projects, download and present to supervisors, students have no fault in this fire-brigade approach, because they have not been equipped with basic skills to carry out proper research.

    One notable area that kills morale of students to conduct research is government’s lackadaisical attitude. There is no funding provided to tertiary institutions by the government to allow students embark on researches. More so, there is no enabling environment for effective learning. Our libraries are equipped with outdated books, thus limiting both the staff and students’ access to updated materials on any chosen research topic.

    Of course, duplication of projects has become the order of the day in Nigeria – a great factor that reverses education development. When ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo visited Singapore, he was amazed with the level of development in Singapore. He didn’t hesitate to ask the Singaporean president how they came about their development. The Singaporean President showed him a book and the interesting thing is that, the book was written by the president. Without research, Singapore and other developed countries will not attain their status today.

    To arrest this problematic situation, measures must be taken urgently to reviewing curriculum of tertiary institutions and see the possibilities of making research methodology a course that would be taught from 100 to 400-Level. This would help to solving this great menace.

    Government should also increase the funding of tertiary institutions and give special incentive to boost students’ research capacities so that our universities can promote cutting-edge research that will make them compete globally.

    Students must know that they are the leaders of tomorrow. As such, it is pertinent to do the right thing when it comes to education and knowledge. Lecturers, too, should know students are entrusted to them and they are being paid to impart lasting knowledge on them, academically and in character. Plagiarising research works is a bad habit. Lecturers and students must look into this and do the appropriate.

  • Mandela Washington Fellow trains 60 VVF survivors on skills

    A 2016 Mandela Washington Fellow, Ms. Chidinma Mbanasor, has concluded a series of vocational rehabilitation and economic empowerment programme for 60 Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF) survivors in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.

    The training session which spanned over a period of seven days was targeted at the socio-economic reintegration of women who have undergone fistula repair surgeries, especially those whose husbands abandoned them as a result of their medical condition.

    “The majority of these VVF survivors are peasants, petty traders, and housewives who have difficulty supporting themselves let alone their families. The situation becomes even more complicated when they are abandoned by their husbands and family members.”

    “Equipping women who have undergone fistula repair with self-sustaining skills can strengthen their capacity to care for themselves with a view to helping them reclaim their lives and return to their communities with pride and independence after treatment,” Chidinma Mbanasor, a midwife and reproductive health provider said.

    During the program, which was held at the National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the participants attended sessions on skill acquisition and entrepreneurship, hygiene, and reproductive health. They were also empowered with free start-off packages in their chosen areas of interest.

    Ms. Mbanasor was awarded a public diplomacy grant by the United States Consulate General in Lagos to carry out the project. Public Affairs Officer Darcy Zotter lauded Mbanasor’s advocacy for women and young girls, particularly survivors of obstetric fistula.

    “Untreated fistula can have a devastating impact on women’s lives due to a whole range of physical, psychological, and socio-economic consequences. We applaud Ms. Chidinma Mbanasor’s renewed focus on Vesico-Vaginal Fistula survivors and for taking the bold step of providing support for them,” Public Affairs Officer Darcy Zotter said.

    Contingent upon availability of funds, the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos works with non-government organisations (NGOs), academic institutions, and individuals, through small grants, to provide financial support to a specific program or initiative that supports shared goals.

     

  • ‘Requisite technology, competitive skills ’ll drive manufacturing’

    ‘Requisite technology, competitive skills ’ll drive manufacturing’

    Nigeria can only come out of recession if the manufacturing sector is equipped with requisite technology and competitive skills to drive the economy, the General Manager, BEAMCO  Nig. Limited, Mr. Emile Bado, has said.

    He said there was the need to support the productive sector with the necessary machinery and raw materials, arguing that a country that cannot produce and export to earn foreign exchange cannot thrive.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos, Bado said, for instance, that the manufacturing sector has been held down by poor electricity supply, which adversely affects its competiveness.

    He regretted that over 30 per cent of manufacturers’ working capital is spent on generating electricity aside other capital projects that should have been otherwise provided by the government.

    The industrialist said although, his company wanted to help the industrial sector to run more efficiently through the supply of compressors, machinery as well as engage in repairs and serviAces, the nation’s poor infrastructure particularly power remained stumbling block.

    “My expectation is to help manufacturers work more efficiently. My company also wants to help indigenous manufacturers in particular areas where we have competencies and also build skills and encourage training for fresh graduates,” he said.

    Bado urged the government to expedite action on the provision of regular power supply, noting that this will drive the manufacturing sector and the economy as a whole.

    He also said that manufacturers, on their part, should always select the right partners that will not only give them good services, but also enable them cut cost in the production process.

    The industrialist recalled that one of the greatest shocks he received when he came to Nigeria was that most people knew next to nothing about emissions and recycling.

    While noting that almost everything can be recycled, from plastics, nylons, bottles etc, he called for greater attention to such areas to rid the streets of refuse and also create wealth.

  • Spotlight on skills training, empowerment

    Spotlight on skills training, empowerment

    Title: Handbook of skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes
    Reviewer: Sunday Onyewonsa
    Author: Dr. Benjamin Onoriode Irikefe
    Publisher: International Centre for Sustainable Development
    Pages: 824

    Handbook of Skill Acquisition Training and Empowerment Programmes  is one of the first holistic books ever published on skill acquisition and empowerment worldwide. Most works on bookstands across the globe on skill acquisition are vocation-based.

    This 824-page book is structured into five parts that lucidly exposes the “quadrant of skill acquisition” and empowerment concepts. Part one covers skill acquisition and its associated foundational concepts. It comprises of two chapters that provide a practical background to the quadrant.

    Part two covers entrepreneurship and soft skills for business success. This part has two chapters that respectively covers entrepreneurship development and soft and life skills for personal and business success from author’s field experience angle.

    Part three covers critical considerations which are associated with successful training execution. These include training actualisation framework, starter packs and associated concepts, post training mentorship and management of unusual training situations; without which skill acquisition and empowerment programmes may not yield positive results.

    Part four tackles the reintegration and empowerment of sub-state groups such as ex-militants, Civilian (JTF) Joint Task Force Members and Repentant Nigerian Ex-Boko Haram Operatives.

    Part five, which is the concluding part of the book, talked about the consideration of critical success entities, proposed interventions from Skill Acquisition to Post Training Empowerment through institutional collaborations.

    The book is a product of over 25 years of the author’s involvement in training of ex-militant and non-militant youths and persons; amnesty programme activities; and general skill acquisition training and mentoring programmes. Practical demonstration of concepts which gives a vivid account of the author’s experiences and activities are the unique features of the book. The recommendations therein are capable of solving numerous societal problems and stand as reference material for academic pursuits.

    The book elucidates the following key elements of skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes, among others:

    A holistic skill acquisition training and empowerment programme should comprise of four components namely: Vocation specific training; soft and life skills training; entrepreneurship development training; and Post-training empowerment. This is what the author has enunciated as the “Quadrant of skill acquisition”.

    Starter Packs for beneficiaries of skill acquisition training programmes should be provided and made available to trainees before they exit their trainings and specific training in the usage and application of the Starter Packs should be taught to them as well.

    Vocational and technical education should be taught alongside and within conventional academic curriculums so that graduates can be equipped with vocation specific trades with which they can eke out a living, after graduation.

    Graduates Enlistment Programmes should be undertaken to help graduates of tertiary institutions unlock their creative and vocational potentials so that they can be involved in vocation specific trades or MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) that can help them eke out a living.

    Operationalisation and reporting templates are needed for effective and successful training programmes (over 100 templates are provided in this book).

    Continuous provisions are needed to re-integrate and empower ex-militants, civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) members and deradicalised repentant ex-Boko Haram operatives to enable them lead self-reliant, productive and wholesome livelihoods.

    Critical success entities must consolidate their interventions from skill acquisition up to post-training empowerment through institutional collaborations to lift MSMEs and artisanal training outfits and artisans.

    Trainers’ qualities of being proactive, accommodating and passionate when managing trainees and also avoid monetisation of training programmes should be their target.

    Provision of skill acquisition trainings is one of the time-honoured  programmes that can be effective in combating global insecurity, poverty and to prevent destabilisation of the international system.

    The above features are vividly and practically explained to equip trainees, trainers, mentors, mentees, and other stakeholders who wish to venture into skill acquisition training and empowerment programmes.

    It is, however, a good resource and tool for the nation and the world at large, especially in this critical economic period if the prescriptions are adopted by the relevant authorities.