The Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has called on students across the country to develop the habit of desire to acquire skills, knowledge and character to enhance their livelihood after graduation.
The Registrar of COREN, Prof. Joseph Odigure gave the charge when the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) visited the Council to give him an Award of Excellence for his contributions to the Council.
Odigure said it was worrisome to see a large number of youths searching for jobs across the country after graduation from school. He stressed that the apprenticeship system of education in the Eastern region of the country where people learn trade and become employers of labour was commendable.
He explained that tertiary institutions had multiple laboratories, adding that if each laboratory could handle a particular skill, it would go a long way to inculcate multiple skills that youths could capitalize upon to become self-sufficient.
“What we are trying to do on the Outcome Based Education in Engineering is to see how we can harness potentials that are in us as professionals and education as technicians. Each time we hear people shouting that they don’t have funding for education, we want to refer them to an apprenticeship form of education which has been neglected or overlooked by our tertiary institutions”
” We have huge laboratories, even the SME is a laboratory to enhance skill; the apprentice pays a small amount to learn and in the long run, he or she advances and even becomes an employer of labour. We can explore that type of education in a formal sector, especially in our tertiary institutions and technical colleges. We have many Federal Government interventions that can focus on these”
“If we have this Outcome Based Education in our tertiary institution, we would not be having graduates in the streets seeking for jobs. Students need to learn skills, knowledge and character that would enhance their livelihood,” he said.
He said people should avoid cutting corners, adding that such is responsible for building collapse and other related issues in the country.
“Students should humble themselves and learn small skills while in school so that by the time they leave the university, it would be easy for them to start something for themselves. The certificate on the Outcome Based education would be based on skills, knowledge and character. These are three items that define it. Without skill, you have not learned anything”
“We cannot produce graduates that the society does not want, so we want to see students that are knowledgeable, skilled and with good character,” Odigure said.
Speaking, the leader of the delegation, Mr Jeremiah Friday Ohomah, the NANS Zone B Coordinator and student of Federal University of Petroleum Resource Effurun, Delta, said Odigure had shown exemplary leadership qualities in the council.
“The reward for hard work is more work. The landmark of what you are doing has gone viral. We are here because we want to learn from you and honour you with the Award of Excellence and to let you know that what you are doing has capture the attention of others from afar”
“Everyone is commending you for the last event you did in Abuja. Please, keep up the good work and may the Almighty God bless you,” Odigure said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that high points of the event included the giving of Award of Excellence to Odigure among others.