Kogi to partner Dangote Academy to boost vocational, technical skills –Commissioner
The Kogi state government has expressed its readiness to partner with the Dangote Academy Technical Training Schemes to enhance and promote vocational and technical skills the state’s youths.
The state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones, stated this when he led a team on a maiden facility tour of the Dangote Academy Technical Training Schemes in Obajana, Lokoja, on Thursday.
According to him, the visit to the academy had been quite revealing, that something of this magnitude existed in the state, with quite a number of Kogi indigenes being part of the trainees, with many graduated and already employed by the Dangote industry.
He disclosed that aside the partnership between the Dangote academy and the state-owned Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), there would be lots of other strategic collaborations with the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute (NKFI).
“Even beyond the CUSTECH, I see a lot of areas of strategic collaborations with the NKFI in the state, which was established to offer similar things to what the Dangote Academy is doing.
“We need to increase the volume as far as NKFI is concerned and I can also see plenty of areas of strategic alliance and collaboration with the academy.
“As for CUSTECH, it is established primarily to do what Dangote Academy, Obajana, is doing. So, for me, this is one of the best visits I have made since I became Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Kogi,” Jones said.
He assured of Gov. Yahaya Bello’s determination to reposition the state’s education sector, especially in technical and vocational education.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Vocational and Informal Education, Hon. Nana Raji, said she was impressed with the collaboration between the Dangote Academy and VDMA German Engineering.
“I was impressed that something of that magnitude is in Kogi State and there was not much publicity about it.
“There is a big gap between formal education and informal, vocational and technical education in Nigeria as a whole,” she said, observing that Nigerian youths lacked basic employable skills, especially mechanical and technical skills.
“We hope we can collaborate and partner with this academy to bring more benefits to our youths,” Raji said.
Earlier, the Administration and Student Affairs Coordinator of Dangote Academy, Mr Korede Fadeyi, stated that the academy commenced operations in October 2010, with the first batch of 48 trainees under its Vocational Training Scheme (VTS).
He added that a total of 703 trainees had been admitted since then, while 652 had graduated to date.
The ADF-VDMA partnership involves a collaboration between the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Germany’s VDMA, a mechanical engineering industry association, and its Foundation for young talents in Mechanical Engineering.
Fedeyi explained that the ADF-VDMA idea arose from a shared vision to address the deficit in vocational skills required in Nigeria’s manufacturing sector.
He added that the training program combined Nigerian requirements with German expertise and technology know-how, which involved theoretical and in-plant practical engagements.
“The Long Course Programmes are: Welding & Fabrication, Vulcanisation, Control Technology and Maintenance of Machines, Basic in Mechanics and fitter works, while electrical programmes include: Electrical Installations, Electrical Machines, and Advanced Measuring Techniques,” he said.
