The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Technical

  • Technical advancement to drive online business to $4.9b

    The rising penetration of the internet has unified the regular trading world with boundless e-commerce potential. The increasing interest of consumers in online retail stores is a result of the ease of shopping provided by these platforms.

    Nowadays, smartphone users can also access various online retail stores through several apps and shop on the go, thanks to the advancement of technologies, which is leading to an immense transformation in the retail world.

    According to a market study published by Transparency Market Research (TMR), a market research and intelligence firm, the global retail digital transformation market had reached a value of $982.8billion in 2013. Analysts at TMR expect this market to rise at an exceptional compound aggregate growth rate (CAGR) of 23.70 per cent during the period from 2014 to 2020 and reach $4,919.9billion by the end of 2020.

    The snapshot of how the retail digital transformation market is progressing in the digital space showed that the market for electronics and consumer appliances dominates the global retail digital transformation market, accounting for a share of 37 per cent in the digital space occupied by the retail industry.

    It also showed that extensive growth of the market for electronics and consumer appliances is imminent as the number of participants is likely to rise, attracting intense competition and resulting in product innovation as well as modernisation.

    The market for grocery, food, and beverages has occupied the second largest space in the digital retail market while the Nature’s Basket, Bigbasket.com, and onlinefoodgrocery.com are some of the major participants in this market segment. “Several food chains have also been trying their hand at digital services by introducing their own online product ordering services, where one can order food and beverages online and pay through cards or net-banking. Cash-on-delivery is also often an option for payment nowadays, where the payment is made in cash at the time of delivery,” TMR noted.

    According to the report, North America leads the global retail digital transformation market, accounting for a 29 per cent share while Latin America is projected to report the fastest growth among all the regional market in the coming years. The trend of rising online shopping in this region has fueled the Latin America retail digital transformation market, it added.

    “The retail digital transformation market in Asia Pacific is likely to post a CAGR of 30.20 per cent between 2014 and 2020. This high growth rate is attributed to the increasing number of online portals, triggered by the rising base of Internet users in this region.

    “The footwear and apparel industries have their biggest digital markets in Asia Pacific. The high discounts that online retailers offer to consumers in this region is the key reason for growth of the Asia Pacific market,” it added.

    eBay, Wal-Mart, Chroma Retail, Snapdeal, Rakuten, Alibaba, Reliance Digital, Flipkart, Tesco, Otto, MercadoLibre, and Amazon are the leading online shopping portals in the global arena. These portals offer a wide range of products for shopping and are known for their on-time delivery and impressive aftersales services, which have enhanced the online shopping experience of consumers.

    TMR is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Its experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyse information.

  • ‘Nigeria needs private sector support to deliver technical education’

    Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Ma’sud Kazaure, has said Nigeria needs private sector support in the delivery of technical and vocational education (TVE)

    He spoke to reporters in Offa, Offa Local Government of Kwara State, on the sidelines of the eight convocation of the Federal Polytechnic, Offa.

    He canvassed the establishment of more private polytechnics in the country.

    He said: “More focus is now towards private sector participation in the delivery of education, not to mention technical and vocational education that we need most in this country.

    “I want to assure you that from 2010 till date, we have had a lot of private polytechnics springing up, particularly in the Southwest region.  In particular, when the current Minister of Education, Alhaji Adamu Adamu took over, he gave approval to so many of these private polytechnics. It is out of this realisation that we need private sector support to deliver technical and vocational education.

    “I want to also on behalf of the minister commend private sector’s efforts in the delivery of technical and vocational education in the country.”

    Kazaure further lent his voice to the dichotomy between polytechnics and universities with respect to award of degrees.

    He said: “According to the Polytechnics Act, polytechnics are not supposed to award degrees, but some have gone far, in affiliation with the universities to award degrees. This is borne out of the zeal of Nigerians to get degrees. That is why some of the polytechnics that have the capacity approached the National Universities Commission (NUC), which gave them approval to affiliate with universities that have the mandate to award degrees.”

    The institution graduated 26,955 students in a combined convocation that stretched between 2009 to 2016 academic sessions.

    Acting Rector of the institution, Dr. Ayodele Olaosebikan expressed satisfaction that workers have now put behind the acrimony of the past that had hindered the progress of the school.

    She was happy that all programmes in the school have been fully accredited and announced plans to introduce new courses that would make use of the increase in its infrastructure at the permanent site.

    “We have critically examined our operations and resources and come to the conclusion that the polytechnic has the capacity of generating revenue to augment federal allocations,” she said.

  • LASTVEB, firm sign MoU on technical students’ conference

    The Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trantouch Ltd to organise a conference for students of the five technical colleges in  state next month.

    The Technical Students Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Conference (TECHSEEC) is the brainchild of Mr Collins Uwadia, CEO of Trantouch Ltd, and an alumnus of Government Technical College, Ikotun.

    Uwadia said at the signing at the LASTVEB headquarters in GRA, Ikeja, that the conference would expose about 6,000 students of technical colleges to best practices and opportunities in the skills sector by bringing them in contact with seasoned experts, both local and foreign, in a five-star venue.

    He also said the students as well as firms in the technical/vocational sector would be able to showcase their creativity through a product exhibition that would feature as part of the event.

    During the conference, three lucky students would win slots to get trained in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); and afterwards, about 1,000 final year students of the colleges would also get opportunity for three to six months of training in graphic design, basic computing, business writing, GSM repairs, social media engagement, customer relationship management to be provided by three seasoned ICT firms.

    “This initiative was borne out of passion and my experience, having being privileged to work locally and internationally in the technical field,” he said.

    Lauding the initiative, Director, Technical and Vocational Education, Mr Laolu Oguntuyi, who signed the MoU as Acting Secretary of LASTVEB, said the board needed private sector partnership to boost the quality of training the students  so that they can be relevant in the work place.

    “I am happy about this programme because it will correct the poor perception about Technical and Vocational Education.

    “All of us know that there is inadequate linkage between the educational institutions and industry. This training would bridge the gap,” he said.

    CEO of Rhoda Michael School of Fashion, Mrs Rhoda Agbeyo, who chaired the organising committee for TECHSEEC, underscored the need for Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) training. She said it was not inferior as evidence of its usefulness was demonstrated in increasing number of graduates seeking training at her fashion school.

    “This is what Nigeria needs right now. We have so many graduates in Nigeria without skills. I am a graduate/masters holder who is back to vocational studies. Now I am a teacher of many students at Rhoda Michael School of fashion, who are graduates

  • Proprietor canvasses technical education

    Parents have been advised  to embrace technical and vocational education (TVE) to be job creators rather than job seekers.

    Bestgift Group of Schools Chairman, Ijegun in  Lagos, Basil Chiedozie Madubueze,  said disciplines, such as Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Building Technology, Computer Engineering, Automobile Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, among few others, place young graduates in a more advantageous position with respect to employability.

    He spoke with reporters during a familiarisation tour of the school’s facilities. The structures and instructional materials for the school’s technical college section.

    Madubueze, an engineer, said the world is bidding farewell to white- collar jobs owing to lack of planning and gross mismanagement of available resources  by authorities. The unpalatable development, he stressed, has become imperative for young graduates to be equipped with the skills which empower them to be self independent.

    Madubueze, however, promised that the school which took off few months ago, would be more aggressive in TVE training.

    He said: “Students that are exposed to wide knowledge of sciences are in a better position to pursue science-oriented courses like Medicine, Engineering and other related programs in the university having had a pre-knowledge as foundation at the technical college.’’

    He said the school is working with a science oriented curriculum, the type that would enable graduands cope with the challenges of the future in a fast changing world

    “The platform we have in place also provides products of our technical college the options of enrolling for the normal examinations like the, WAEC/SSCE, NECO, NABTEB, and the City and Guilds of London Institute based on choice,” Madubueze added.

     

  • Nigeria to get technical support from ILO

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is to provide Nigeria with technical support in training factory inspectors and other professionals in the Ministry of Labour and Employment to ensure the attainment of decent work and sustainable development.

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, made this known during a meeting with the Director-General, ILO, Moussaka Oumarou.

    Ngige also told Oumarou that Nigeria was planning to revive the Labour Advisory, which has been dormant for over five years, to ensure industrial harmony.

    He pointed out that the government would also strengthen the child labour law and carry out sensitisation

    The country, he said, would need lots of technical assistance available at the ILO to do that.

    Other areas where the country needs technical assistance from the ILO, Ngige said, include capacity building to strengthen the National Industrial Court (NIC) and strengthen labour laws in the country.

    Ngige said of the five labour bills before the National Assembly, only one had been passed into law, while the other four were obsolete and required re-working to make them in tune with modern realities.

    He said the bills before the National Assembly were drafted with the assistance of the ILO with only the Employees Compensation Scheme sailing through legislation successfully.

    In response, Oumarou stressed the need to lay more emphasis on “train the trainers”.

    He assured that the ILO will do its best to assist Nigeria get back factory inspectors and assist in other areas of need put forward by the Nigerian delegation.

    He said ILO will also assist the country with experts in labour laws to help in the review and easy passage of labour laws.

  • Revive technical/vocational education

    SIR; So much has been said and written about the educational sector in the country especially the misfortune that has befallen the sector in recent years. While lack of fund, negligence, policy somersault, lack of political will and host of others reasons are said to be the bane of education in Nigeria, others laid the blame on the door steps of parents, teachers and even the children themselves. One thing that all Nigerians agree however is that the sector is in dire strait.

    Just as education is having turbulent times, the technical sub-sector is also comatose. For a very long time, technical and vocational education has been relegated to the background. This aspect of education is so neglected that it is almost becoming extinct. It would appear that all the levels of governments no longer see this subsector as important. The once vibrant trade centres or technical colleges have been left to rot. New ones have not been established nor the existing ones taken care of. A general survey of technical colleges in Nigeria paint a gloomy picture of how an important training centres should not be managed. With obsolete and broken down equipment, dilapidated classrooms, lack of workshops, dejected teaching and non-teaching staff and in many cases uninviting and unconducive school environment, technical colleges have become orphans of some sort.

    To add salt to injury, people do not give much regards to students who choose to attend these schools. They are seen as second or third rate students who could not get into the conventional secondary schools or cope with the rigour of academic activities.

    The fact that some children decide to attend technical college does not make them inferior to their counterparts in the secondary schools. There are people who are very good with their hands, they could build, fix or construct something out of nothing. In developed countries, these set of people are sought after.  They are trained in technical or technological institutions to tap their full potentials to develop their countries. There is no doubt that the  economic and technological feat of  the Asian Tigers (Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, etc.) and even China would not be possible without the desired attention given to technical education as well as youth entrepreneurship by the government of these countries.

    A critical look at the vibrant and ever expanding building and construction industry in Nigeria shows that it has been taken over by foreigners. Talk of competent bricklayers, carpenters, tilers, plumbers, welders, electricians even auto mechanics and panel beaters, they are either from Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana or Cameroun.

    In the much more lucrative oil industry, Nigerians are not doing any better as very few of them are involved in the drilling and exploration of oil.  In other technical areas like underwater welding, the numbers of Nigerians are far between. Those operating the sector are the so called ‘foreign expatriates’ from America, Europe and Asia. The annoying part of it is that most of the so-called foreign ‘engineers’ are not engineers in the real sense of the word, but people trained at institutions similar to our technical colleges.

    The resuscitation of technical colleges and training of our youth in all aspects needed in the industry will not only ensure that they are gainfully employed but also key players in the sector.

    No doubt, things have changed and situations have also changed. Gone are the days when jobs were available and waiting for potential graduates and school leavers. Gone are the days when the number of vacancies in government and private organizations were more than graduates turned out from our higher institutions.  Nowadays, the jobs are scarce while the numbers of graduates and school leavers keeps increasing yearly. It is high time governments at all levels woke up from their slumber and pay attention to technical education.  Concerted efforts should be made to resuscitate existing but moribund technical and vocational schools while new ones should also be established.

    The army of unemployed youth will keep on increasing if we keep on producing graduates and school leavers without requisite technical and vocational skills. It is not too late to save our youth and our country from the current economic difficulties and the best way to go is to bring back our technical colleges.

     

    • Elijah Udofia,

    Abeokuta, Ogun State.

  • Training for technical institutions

    Training for technical institutions

    A group of professionals, the Eko Heritage, through the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board, has embarked on skills acquisition training for technical and vocational institutions.

    The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Board, Mr. Olawunmi Gasper said Lagos State is training and re-training brick-layers, furniture makers, tailors, welders, electricians, computer repairers, handsets repairers and motor mechanics, among others.

    “We are re-training and upgrading them,” he said.

    This, he said, was to ensure that all technical and vocational institutions in Lagos State meet international standard and be able to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts in technical fields.

    Gasper revealed that the group was partnering with over 15 companies for the training. Based on the prescribed standard, he said, the companies have promised to absorb and employ the trainees immediately after their education, adding that the training is being monitored by the respective companies or industries.

    Speaking on the theme “Youth Bulge and Restiveness in Lagos: Technical and Vocational Skill to the Rescue”, Mr. Gasper, who was represented by the Skills Development Officer, Adebisi Abubakar said the training would enable our artisans to measure up to standard in whatever they do; instead of bringing artisans from the Republic of Benin and other parts of West African countries to carry out technical works in the country.

    He also said the board has embarked on what it called modern apprenticeship training programme (MATP) to re-train the graduates for a period of one year, especially those who studied Economics, History and Geography. “When most graduates are out of school, they don’t have anything to do. For this reason, they are going on hand training. They would be posted to different industries and we have supervisors that would train them on industrial attachment,” he said.

    He, however, stressed the need for people to understand the difference between paper qualification and field qualification, adding that we are only after the national vocational qualification (NVQ).

    “Within the next five years, the state would be able to operate on this system whereby we are not after paper qualification, but after the NVQ1”, he added.

    Chairman on the association, Femi Scott, said the group was a purposeful, dynamic and selfless organisation which is known for people-oriented programmes.

    Being one of the fast-growing socio-progressive organisations in the state, Scott said the group had conducted the establishment of Eko Trumpet Newspaper, Census Awareness Campaign in partnership with The National Orientation Agency (NOA), periodic visit to the motherless babies’ homes and primary health care centres; in partnership with the Committee on Dental Health Education, among others.

    He said the group was partnering with the government, non-governmental agencies as well as eminent personalities in moving the state forward.

  • Technical teachers laud internship at Slot

    Two weeks of internship at Slot Systems Limited, a mobile phone merchandise firm, came to an end for 20 technical college teachers on Monday.

    They were exposed to electronics training at the company under the Teachers Industrial Work Experience Scheme (TIWES), an initiative of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, to update the practical knowledge of teachers of the five Government Technical Colleges (GTC).

    Under the scheme, the teachers spend some time during the long holidays in firms related to their fields to brush up their knowledge to improve their delivery in the classroom.

    At the onset of the event at the Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Executive Secretary of LASTVEB Mr Olawumi Gasper said the board recognised that the teachers needed to interact with practitioners in the private sector to keep them relevant, especially as the students they teach also get exposed during their industrial attachment.

    “This is the third in the series of industrial training we have had for teachers.  For the past eight-nine months these teachers have been in the classroom.  But we believe we should expose them to new technology.  We cannot do this alone as government.  The private sector is the pivot of technology.  They have made the investment.  It is the private that absorbs the students after graduation.  What the teachers learn during the internship would be translated to the students,” he said.

    Director, Technical Vocational Services, LASTVEB, Mr Laolu Oguntuyi, said the scheme is mandatory for teachers because it helps bridge the gap between the colleges and the industry.

    “We discovered that there is a mismatch between the industry and the colleges.  To bridge this gap, we must move closer to the industry,” he said.

    Chief Executive Officer of Slot Technologies Mr Nnamdi Ezeigbo praised the state government for revamping Technical/Vocational Education (TVE) because it provides students with skills  to start up businesses without capital.

    He said that was how he started his business without capital – by offering computer repair services.

    “The importance of vocational training in any society, especially an emerging society cannot be over emphasized.  One major problem in Nigeria is that SMEs have problem with startup capital.  But if you have sound technical knowledge, the startup capital will be the least of your problems,” he said.

    Training Coordinator for Slot Mr Collins Uwadia said the teachers were responsive during the two-week internship and equipped with skills relevant to the mobile technology business.

    He was optimistic they would perform better back in the classroom.

    A participant, Mrs Mabel Omojake, said she learnt a lot and urged the government to provide the equipment needed to practicalise what they learnt during the internship.

     

     

    “It was a good one for us as teachers.  It was something that we really value.  I want to appreciate the government for this initiative and urge them to make it regular for us.  I also appeal to them to provide some of the equipment we used to learn because it would help us teach the students,” she said.

     

  • Abia plans to revive technical education

    Abia plans to revive technical education

    Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, has said that his administration is targeting the education of over 100,000 youths as part of its plan to revive technical and vocation schools in the state.

    This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Cooperatives and Poverty Reduction, Onyema Abarikwu, when he received the Chairman of Kiara College, United Kingdom, Endi Ezengwa, in his office in Umuahia.

    Abarikwu saId that the governor has emphasised the need for technical schools to live up to the need of turning out graduates that will be relevant to the technological and economic needs of the people.

    He said that a curriculum based on realizing the objectives of the program should engage students and teachers on the practical aspect of their studies, as it will help in uplifting the state to the next level.

    Abarikwu called on the youths of the state to take up the challenge and key into the program, stressing that it is a veritable tool for employment and independence for the youths of the state.

     

     

    Earlier, Endi Ezengwa said his school will establish business development centres in all the 17 council areas of the state for the program.

    He said that the centres will have a labour market Information System, a web based clearing house for information on unemployed youths and job opportunities with industries among others.

  • Push for technical vocational training in schools

    Former Provost, Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo, Prof Taoheed Adedoja, has advocated a review of the National Policy on Education to promote skill acquisition and address the growing unemployment among youths in the country.

    Adedoja said the need for the review became imperative in view of the global economic reality.

    Adedoja, a former minister of sports, made the call in Ibadan while answering questions from reporters on the state of the nation’s education sector.

    Adedoja said: “Education is very important for the development of any country. But for countries that have shown signs of economic development they have given priority to the acquisition of skills inherent in vocational and technical education for which we have neglected in this country.

    He continued: “Our technical schools are virtually empty; and our vocational system has been neglected. We have given priority to university education at the detriment of vocational and technical education that are key to entrepreneurship. Nigeria’s economic potentials can only be achieved if we give technical education the priority it deserves. Ghana, for example, is a country rated high today in terms of waking up economically, and it has started to give priority to technical and vocational education not even at the university, but secondary and polytechnic levels.

    “Before you are certified to have completed secondary education in Ghana, 30 per cent of subject offered must be at least vocational. But in Nigeria today, we have given priority to other subjects.

    Adedoja, who is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa,t described NPE as archaic with the current global economic reality.

    He lamented that the National Policy on Education in Nigeria which was promulgated in 1977 “has not been reviewed up till today” He argued that it s not only JAMB that requires review as being demanded in some quarters, stressing that all sectors of the educational system in Nigeria needs a reappraisal.

    Adedoja condemned the negative attitude of most Nigerians to vocational and technical education.

    He said: “The countries that can be considered developed technologically and scientifically are countries that give priority to their vocational and technical education.

    “We have in this country neglected technical and vocational education that would make us reach those countries that are developed today. Our schools’ curricula need urgent review in this direction,” he stressed.