The Deputy Registrar of Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Mr Joe Ejiofor, disclosed that the institution has provided an innovation for sustainable solutions to problems of unemployment, underemployment and skills mismatch in the country.
This was disclosed in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.
According to him said, the idea around the innovation was the need to empower youths who are mostly affected by the challenges.
He noted that the institution through her Flexible Skills Development Centre, (FSDC) in partnership with Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada, and Computer Telecommunication Engineering Association of Nigeria (COMTEAN), will embark on ‘Skills-In-Demand (SID)’ Project.
“This project is focused on implementing a workplace and community-based Skills Training Programme that leverages Open, Distance Learning and Technology to increase access, ensure competency, and meet skills needs of industry and communities.
“This is particularly in the areas of Mobile Phone Repairs and Computer Hardware Repairs which will go a long way to get the youths meaningfully engaged, further develop skills and do away constantly changing work environment.”
According to the Deputy Registrar, YABATECH would be having the maiden edition of programme’s matriculation, on Aug. 21, 2021, to unveil the pilot project for new intakes.
“This will be first of many to come as the project is aimed at producing 46,780 competent Craftsmen that are more educationally mobile and empowered to gain employment.
“They will have opportunity to earn increased income and create more jobs in the informal ICT sector of the economy and even be employers of labour, if they want,” Ejiofor revealed to NAN.
He added that the college had plans to extend the skills training to other sectors that are critically affected by shortages of skilled manpower like the construction and automotive industries.