The Nation Newspaper

Tag: training

  • Training for Anambra okada riders

    Former commercial motorcyclists banned from operating by the Anambra Government have expressed their desire to be included to benefit from the 1,000 shuttle buses provided by the government.

    However, the government has insisted they must undergo training before they could be qualified for the programme.

    Chief Clement Chukwuka, Managing Director of Anambra State Small Business Agency (ASBA), made the disclosure on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

    It will be recalled that Anambra Government had on July 1 effected the ban on commercial motorcycle mode of transportation in Awka and Onitsha cities and their adjoining towns.

    The state government also said it was rolling out 1,000 shuttle buses to be given to the commercial motorcyclists in the affected routes for agreed sums to cushion the effect of the ban on the operators and commuters.

    The agency’s boss said the trainees who will be in batches of 50 persons will be certified by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Vehicle Inspection Officer (VIO) before they would be eligible to apply and benefit from the shuttle bus transport services project.

    Chukwuka, who said that only such operators who did their businesses under recognised trade unions in the affected areas should apply for the buses.

    “With that pronouncement effective from July 1, my office has been inundated with inquiries from the banned riders and we met with all the critical stakeholders.

    “The road map include that the unions of these operators in the affected areas will send their members in batches of 50, they will be trained and certified to provide commercial shuttle service by the FRSC and VIO.

    “Most of them were not trained and because they are going to be upgraded to drivers and for them to benefit, we are going to train them and it is after the training that they can come and apply for these buses.

    “Okada is an all-comers business, 90 to 95 per cent accident cases in Anambra hospitals are from Okada and we cannot allow that this time.”

     

     

     

     

  • ISGPP, UK association partner on training

    The Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP), as part of preparation for the commencement of its postgraduate programmes in Public Administration, yesterday signed a partnership agreement with a United Kingdom professional association. The partnership agreement signed at the ISGPP Bodija, Ibadan headquarters, will see civil and public servants undertake short-time training and postgraduate programmes that will enrich their knowledge of international best practices.

    The partnership agreement was signed with the International Professional Managers’ Association (IPMA), United Kingdom. Speaking before the signing of the documents, the Executive Vice Chairman, ISGPP, Dr. Tunji Olaopa, explained that the programme to be launched was germane to the improvement of the quality of public service in the country. He stressed that the world of civil service has moved beyond what it is in Nigeria.

    “They can’t afford one year masters programe, they cant afford nine months diploma programme, but they can do one week, two weeks programmes like what ISGPP offers,” he said. According to him, civil servants need both theoretical and practical training backed up by rich intellectual contents. In his own remarks, the Head, Africa Regional Headquarters of IPMA UK, Prof. Olufesiyan Taiwo Feyi-Sobanjo, said that his group was going into the partnership with ISGPP with a lot of assurance derived from the works of the school.

  • 100 young business owners get training

    The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has trained 100 Young Business Owners  (Y-BON) on various vocations and entrepreneurial skills.

    Its Director-General, Mr Dikko Radda,  said in Osogbo that the selected young business owners would be given grants for work space and equipment to enable them strive and improve their competencies and competitiveness.

    Radda, represented by Mrs Chibuzor Osoah, said the Y-BON project would help in reducing the rate of unemployment, created more jobs and also enable entrepreneurs to be successful in their businesses.

    “The beneficiaries will also be given support packages, which is aimed at empowering them to overcome some challenges which SMEs faces,” he said.

    According to him, the competition in the global markets have further stifled the operations and growth of domestic SMEs.

    The DG  said the young business owners from Ilesa and Osogbo were  screened with an aptitude test to know their level of preparedness and commitment towards the projects.

    The state Manager, Dr Samuel Adebola urged the beneficiaries to show commitment toward the success of the projects, adding that it would help in creating more jobs for the unemployed youths, who are not beneficiaries.

    Adebola, however, said  the agency would serve as watchdog to ensure that the grants given to the beneficiaries were used well.

  • Kwara indigenes undergo training in solar light, entrepreneurship

    Twenty-five indigenes of Kwara State are undergoing  training in solar light installation and entrepreneurship at the International Vocational Technical and Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC) in Ajase-Ipo, Kwara State.

    The Acting Rector of the college, Dr Ade Somide, who disclosed this while declaring the training open in Ajase-Ipo in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, said the training was in partnership with  Riccortezza-Asteven Energy Ltd.

    The energy company is handling the “Light-up Kwara” project in collaboration with the state government.

    He commended the company for being socially and environmentally responsible. “The company has put in place start-up business package for the participants worth one million naira each at the end of the exercise.

    “All necessary apparatus have been provided by the IVTEC and the energy company for the students.

    “The selected participants will be trained for two weeks in Kwara, before moving them to Ogun State for one week training by the energy company,” Somide said.

    He expressed gratitude to the state government for partnering the energy company, describing the gestures as a way forward to minimising youth restiveness in the state.

    Riccortezza-Asteven Energy Limited Managing Director, Dr Dickson Aleroh,  described the training as a way of giving back to the society.

    He urged the participants to take full advantage of the training, adding that the programme was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

    The registrar of the college, Mr Sunday Ade-Bello, revealed that the training would be on solar photovoltaic, installation, troubleshooting, maintenance and other entrepreneurship courses.

    One of the trainees, Rachael Atolagbe, commended the sponsors  for remembering the indigenes of the state to help to alleviate poverty and create jobs for the youths.

    Another beneficiary, Ajibola Oluwaseun, said the training came at the right time to enable them be self employed in view of the high rate of unemployment and the economic situation in the country.

  • 730 Niger Delta youths for training in 2018, says minister

    No fewer than 730 youths from the Niger Delta region would be trained in various skill acquisition programme of the federal government in 2018.

    The effort is in line with government’s bid to increase the human capital development in the country as well as check agitations and unrest.

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, made the disclosures in Ibadan at the weekend during the graduation of 25 youths from Niger Delta under the empowerment training of the ministry by Siegener Sabithos Nigeria Limited.

    The youths were trained on fish production, information communication technology, business development and entrepreneurial skill within few weeks in Ibadan.

    Represented by the Director of Economic Empowerment, Ministry of Niger Delta, Alhaji Ibrahim Akanya, the minister said the empowerment is not only a means to fast track development but also to actualise the Presidents human capital development programmes.

    According to him: “The essence is the restiveness we have in the Niger Delta and recently, in the North East is nothing other than neglect of human capital.

     

     

     

  • Training in managing time, stress

    Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode yesterday urged civil servants to maximise their time and avoid being stressed.

    He enjoined them to live good lives and cope with a number of factors overlooked in the quest for organisational efficiency.

    The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Dr. Akintola Benson Oke, spoke while opening a two-day training with the theme: ‘Techniques for effective time and stress management for civil servants in Lagos State’.

    He said the workshop would enlighten participants about effective time and stress management.

    “It is a well-known fact that time is both priceless and unfortunately, irreplaceable. Every minute you spend is a minute lost forever. You are not going to get it. The senior officers in the civil service will benefit from this seminar, as they learn how to make the civil service as less stressful as possible for civil servants.

    “The import of the training is that whether you are a man or woman, Governor Ambode wants you to utilise your time and manage it very well. Use your time very well, so that Lagos State will serve as a reference point in the civil service in the federation. We thank the governor for approving that civil servants should be trained across board.”

    The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mrs. Rhoda Ayinde, said the participants were privileged to be at the programme, hoping that they would be better informed and equipped intellectually after the programme.

  • NFC commences training for entrepreneurs

    Nigerian Film Corporation, last Monday commenced training of about 80 entrepreneurs from the six geopolitical zones of the country in film and television in Jos, Plateau State.

    At the opening ceremony which took place at the National Film Institute, Jos, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, NFC’s Managing Director said that the weeklong workshop will help participants appraise existing and new developments within the context of broad range of traditional filmmaking techniques and applications in film and television production.

    Speaking on behalf Maduekwe, Prof. Christy Best, Rector of the National Film Institute (NFI), the workshop will offer opportunities for film/television and communication specialists/practitioners to perfectly fit into emerging global trends and best practices as a result of digital revolution.

    The workshop, she said, is designed to incorporate a blended learning approach that combines personal experience, classroom tutorials and practical that will justify the time-period participants will spend away from their organisations, to the maximum.

    “The training workshop is also to address the skills gap in the film industry. NFC, through the series of training workshops designed for the year, some of which will be in partnership with State Governments, other Federal Agencies and Foreign Embassies in Nigeria, is demonstrating its commitment to continuously provide training opportunities that will ultimately lead to domestic and international consistency in capacity and manpower development for film and television production,” she said.

    The target of the training workshop includes youths and will cover, scripting, cinematography, production management, editing, still photography and directing.

    The training workshop ends on Saturday March 17.

  • Need for early training of childcare givers

    SIR: Early Childhood Care Development (ECCDE) is an aspect of Universal Basic Education that was introduced in 1999 to increase the access of children in the country to basic education in the country. While stakeholders and like minds have been engaging to ensure a successful implementation and achievement of the objectives of the scheme, it is unfortunate that ECCDE is still faced with serious challenges in Nigeria.

    The first 1,000 days of every child’s life are very crucial to his/her mental and social development. It is the most critical stage of a child’s life, because this is the period in life when the brain develops most rapidly and has a high capacity for change, and the foundation is laid for health and wellbeing throughout life.

    According to UNICEF, in Nigeria, the proportion of children enrolled in pre-primary Early Childhood Care Centres still remains low at approximately 2.3 million children. This represents about 21 per cent of the population of children in this age group. In recent times, maternal employment has increase which has led to complete reliance of childcare for young children from birth to 5years of age.

    The caregivers of these centers are generally unqualified as about 85 per cent do not possess basic qualifications and more than half have no formal education.

    Currently, of all the educational problems that beset Nigeria today, none is as persistent and as agonizing as the one relating to the training of competent teachers. Many of our modern day primary school teachers are not much more literate than the children they teach. Some of these teachers are not even trained for this level of education and most early year’s programmes are managed by people who have never been in the classroom.

    While it is easy to choose graduates easily to become preschool teachers, these graduates still require a preschool teacher training that qualifies them to teach early years. There is a lot of difference between a trained graduate teacher and an untrained graduate teacher. These trainings expose interested early childcare givers to special skills that help them to do their work effectively and efficiently while securing the future of the children in their care.

    Some of the skills preschool teachers are exposed to when they get trained include expanding a child’s ability to express themselves which is the most important job of a preschool teacher, developing critical thinking skills in children, how to be sensitive and responsive to the needs of children, organizing activities that promote development and encourage children to behave in pro-social ways, creating language rich environment etc.

    The training of early childhood development and education (ECDE) teachers in Nigeria should remain a priority and should be vigorously pursued because in recognition of the vital role well-trained professionals play in the quality of early childhood experiences for children ages. Some of the basic skills needed by early childhood teachers can be intentionally and personally pursued by the teachers themselves which would cost them nothing but their time.

    If as a parent you are still wondering why you should enroll your child or children in a preschool, you need to be aware that preschool is crucial stage to expose a child to more than 30million words. A child is expected to be exposed to 10,000 words a day and daily activities.

    UNICEF recommends that to ensure Nigerian children fare well in early development and are protected from killer diseases, there should be a policy to include two years of free pre-primary education, six months of paid maternity leave and four weeks of paid paternity leave. Nigeria currently has just three months of paid maternity leave, only one year of free pre-primary education and no paternity leave at all, except for staff of the Lagos Public Service.

     

    • Funmi Fasipe,

    Ogba, Lagos.

  • Osun training 800 Grade II teachers

    Osun State is training 800 Grade 11 teachers under the 2016 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) TPS programme, it was learnt.

    The training is going on same time at six centres across the state.

    At the opening of the Jolly Phonics training for the teachers in Osogbo, the capital, Executive Chairman of the State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) Prince Felix Awofisayo said the government was working in collaboration with UBEC in Abuja and the local government education area officials.

    Awofisayo said the training would enhance pupils’ reading and writing skills from the foundation level.

    According to him, Grade 1 teachers were trained last year, adding: “The learning outcome has improved in our Grade One pupils, who are now in Grade 11.”

    The SUBEB chairman noted that for the trend to continue with the pupils now in Grade 11, their teachers need to be trained so that the Grade 1 teachers would handle new intakes in Grade 1.

  • Training a must for teachers, says VC

    Vice Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos, Prof. Ayandiji Aina, has identified capacity building as the only means of enhancing teachers’ performance.

    Aina, therefore, called on the government and stakeholders to make training a regular exercise for teachers.

    Aina spoke at the 11th matriculation at its Imota campus, where he argued that producing outstanding students was achievable by quality teachers and good pedagogy.

    The new students were drawn from colleges of Environmental Sciences and Management; Pure and Applied Sciences; Arts, Social and Management Sciences; as well as School of Postgraduate Studies.

    Aina warned them not to identify with bad associations, but take advantage of the university’s facilities to excel academically.

    Aina appealed to the government to allow private universities benefit from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) so they could improve their research.

    He lamented that poor economy had increased the cost of running private universities, making it difficult for their proprietors to pay salaries.

    “People saying we are always charging much and therefore do not deserve grants are being unfair to us. I advise them to do the maths and realise that what we are charging is not even enough to run the school.

    “Donations from private individuals and organisations are what have been helping us. I spend N300million as overhead expenses monthly; where is the money coming from? Check out our population and ask yourself questions,” he said.

    The guest speaker, Pastor Johnson Kalejaiye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, urged the students to be diligent, noting that a hard working student can outshine an intellectually endowed one if the latter is lazy.