The School-Based Management Committee (SBMC) of the Federal Science and Technical College, Yaba,  Lagos, says the country has yet to tap the full potential of vocational and technical education.
Chairman of the  committee, Mr Ladi Lawanson,  recently disclosed this in Lagos at the 2022 Valedictory Service of the college.
According to him, Nigeria has not exploited the vocational training space in terms of exposing the citizens, adding that the non-exploitation was impacting negativity on its quest for technological advancement.
“I have long held the view that Nigeria has not exploited enough vocational training in terms of exposing the citizens.
“I think we have this unidirectional mindset that every body must be a white-collared job professional, which is not true. It is not realistic to our national objective.
“That is what drives my passion in accepting to serve in this capacity and to help to bring as much awareness and support to that key sector of our livelihood, which will help us to unlock the potential of these young ones.
“It will also propel them to be able to contribute meaningfully to the economy and the development of the nation,” the Chairman stated.
Lawanson noted that the SBMC was in partnership with the Federal Government in a bid to ensure the full realisation of the mandates of its unity colleges.
According to him, one of the key reasons why such committee was set up by the Federal Government is to support its (government’s) by attracting partners, funding, ideas and knowledge to support the schools.
“I am pleased to inform you that our committee has worked very hard and in this dispensation, there are two major projects that we have been able to successfully attract to the college.
“The first is the renovation of the welding and fabrication workshop. We have reached out to an oil and gas company called Axella Nig. Ltd, not only in terms of renovation of the workshop to the tune of N23 million.
“It is also to be able to make linkages between what we are teaching them here and the industry out there.
“Part of the attraction also is that once they have been trained properly, we will now make the linkage for them to be employed there as required,” he stated.
The Committee Chairman said often times, students were sent to school without thinking on how best to get them engaged thereafter, noting that this had led to the high rate of unemployment among the youth in the country.
He stated that the committee was thinking well ahead of such development by finding the connectivity in addition to imparting knowledge to the students of the college.
According to him, the Axella project and the other, which is the partnership with the Lagos State Government Computerisation Vehicle Inspection Service (LACVIS) will further assist the students in the development and acquisition of modern skills.
Lawanson, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, noted that the partnership with LACVIS will entail its state-of-the-art computerised system to perform diagnostics on cars, which was part of mechanical subjects, offered in the college.

He expressed optimistism that the 800 graduating students would add value and affect their environment positively with the knowledge and skills acquired as they go into the larger space.

On his part, the Principal of the college, Mr David Omada, said collaboration and industrialisation was gradually taking the college to its rightful place in the science and technical space, noting that the college had recorded significant growth in terms of skills and knowledge acquisition, which was in line with its mandate.

Omada admonished the students to be good ambassadors of the college and strive to hold their own anywhere they find themselves.