By Hussein Ismail
A strong alliance between industries and academic institutions is crucial for producing industry-ready graduates who can drive the nation’s economic development.
Dr. Ibrahim Abdul, Rector of Yaba College of Technology (YabaTech), emphasized this during the inaugural graduation of the “Telecom Access Foundation Programme” at the Skillfort Training hub in Lagos on Friday. The event was organized by Omnicom Solutions in collaboration with YabaTech and Summit University, Offa, according to NewsArena.
Twenty-nine students completed the IT skill-based program, receiving certifications in RF & Microwave technology, fibre optics solutions, network optimization, renewable energy solutions, and quality environmental health and safety.
The training program was sponsored by Omnicom Solutions and Endow Africa.
In his speech, Dr. Abdul stated that YabaTech is actively engaging with industry.
“The gown is going to the town to ensure that we have the necessary alliance that ensures our graduates fit for the industry.
“We thank God that we are actualizing what we intended. We planned to have a robust industrial alliance.
“And then we want to leverage on that industrial alliance to deepen the training of our students and that is happening here,” Abdul said.
He also outlined YabaTech’s vision to produce industry-ready graduates with skills that extend beyond Nigeria.
According to Dr. Abdul, some YabaTech students are currently in China gaining practical skills to benefit the country.
“We have about another 25 of them that are in China to deepen their training in automobile.
“They will be there for about 18 months. We are spreading our dragnet to bridge that gap.”
Dr. John Onyebuchi, Deputy Zonal Director of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), praised the initiative and encouraged the students to continue upskilling.
