Vocational and Technical Education (Skill Education) has been described as expensive and requires a joint funding to achieving and churning out skilled graduates to reduce the flux of graduates in the labour market.
The synergy between the private sector and the government to raise fund into the Rivers State education trust fund with the private sector, the government, parents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) partnering to contribute to fund the skill education would further make the state education institution innovative-driven.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the 5th Annual Conference of the Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, the Head, Ndele Campus of the university and professor of Industrial and Technical Education, Prof Isaac Ogunde said Rivers State needed functional vocational and technical institution to upscale its educational status and economy in the face of the present economic down turn.
Ogundu described the theme of the conference “Innovation in Vocational and Technical Education for Optimal Productivity and Sustainability in the Covid-19 Era in Nigeria” as apt adding that establishment of vocational and technical institutions even in Rivers State would aid the training of innovative manpower at the various sectors of the state economy to meeting up with international sustainable innovative systems.
Ogundu who is also the chairman Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the conference said “at this conference, what we hope to achieve is how to build innovations that are institutional driven such that we recommend institutions like vocational colleges to be established in almost all the local government areas of Rivers State. I will recommend that Rivers State should have a college of education that will train the required manpower that will drive this innovation at those facilities.
“Equally of note here is that there should be a synergy between the private sector and the government to raise fund like the Rivers State Education Trust Fund where the private sector, the government, the parent and non-governmental organizations would come together to contribute to fund this education because skill related education is expensive. And when that is done, the firms in turn will bring in their problems to the school for solutions and students too will be independent after school,” he stated.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Dean, Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, IAUE, Prof Sixtus Anyanwu, noted that the Covid-19 pandemic changed many aspects of daily life, transformed the economy and disrupted virtually every business including the productivity of the vocational and technical education.
According to him, education is a veritable tool for sustainable development and innovations therefore, has become inevitable for optimal productivity and sustainability of the human race.

Anyanwu said “generally speaking, education is a veritable tool for sustainable development. However, a major challenge facing humanity these days is the employment of the fruits of education in the development of pathways that guarantees sustainable life so that the reasonable needs and wants of people from all walks of life could be satisfied”.

He continued “technological change drives long term economic growth, productivity and improvement in living standards. Knowledge is dynamic and progressive from one age or stage to another. And so, skills acquired in the paste may be obsolete or irrelevant in the provision of solutions to contemporary challenges. Therefore, research and development must fill the gap in order to continuously provide innovations crafted in such a way as to provide the requisite elixir to the challenges of humanity”.

Anyanwu said the theme of the conference was aimed at garnering confluence of ideas on the subject matter saying “such confluence of innovative ideas in vocational and technical education will not only optimize but guarantee sustainable productivity in Nigeria both during and after the Covid-19 era”.

Highlight of the conference include award of academic excellence to Ph.D students of the faculty.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu