UNN Partners Professionals On Technical Education

The Vice Chancellor , University of Nigeria, Nsukka, (UNN), Prof. Bartho Okolo, has expressed the preparedness of the institution to continue to collaborate with relevant professional bodies within and outside the country with a view to improving the study of Technical Vocational Education and Training(TVET) in the African continent.

Making his views known while declaring open a two – day major stakeholders interactive forum on the initiative of Center for Technical Vocational Education Training and Research CETVETAR, at the university, for sustainable technical teacher education and human capital development in Nigeria, Prof. Okolo, who spoke through his deputy, academics, Prof Isaac Asusu, explained that the forum was part of activities for the implementation of innovative initiatives of the Step B World Bank Assisted center of excellence in technical vocational educational training, TVET ,project.

He, however, explained that the increasing lack of employable skill among graduates of various levels of the nation’s educational system led to the enormous emphasis placed on technical vocational education and training by the federal government and international donor agencies.

According to him, “It is in response to this great challenge that a centre for technical vocational education training and research, CETVETAR, in UNN was established to serve as a world class center of excellence for life long human capital development through technical vocational education, VET, with a mission to provide leadership in the field in Africa and carry out research into best practices”.

Also delivering a paper entitled “An Overview of the UNN step-B World Bank Assisted CETVETAR, Benjamin Ogwo, stated that the objectives of the center for technical vocational education, training and research, CETVETAR included to conduct training, retraining programmes in different areas for youths, retirees, women and disadvantaged groups for skill empowerment and poverty reduction.

Others, he said, include development of programmes on different issues and leading the policy direction on life-long technical vocational education and provide consultancy services to local, national and international agencies on best practices in informal and non-formal TVET.

In his speech, the National Coordinator for the World Bank assisted step B project on technical vocational education TVET, Abuja, Prof. Michael Adikwu observed that skill mapping was very critical to ensure optimal success in his envisaged new look programme.

He ,also stressed that stakeholders in the field were already discussing about the national vocational framework to be able to certify those who have skill but not backed up with certificate, making public the emergence of a national economic skills acquisition programme, NESAP, for Africa to improve the skills of graduates.

Papers were also presented by scholars drawn from Nigerian tertiary institutions and those from UNESCO, African Union, ECOWAS, the World Bank and the Pennsylvania State University, the State University and that of New York, both in America led by professors Edgar Farmer and Engerio Balsuado.