UNESCO selects YABATECH as pioneer i-hubs institution

Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has been chosen as the first ever innovation hub (i-hub) institution in Nigeria by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO-UNEVOC).

UNESCO-UNEVOC is an international centre for technical and vocational education and training.With this feat, YABATECH is now among the three i-hub centres in the entire Africa, which are, Rift Valley Technical Training Institute, Kenya and Institute of Technology, Seychelles.

According to a statement obtained by The Guardian, YABATECH was chosen because UNESCO-UNEVOC centre of the college has been showcasing numerous innovations and has demonstrated great commitment in producing graduates that will be employers of labour.

The college, it stated, is committed to improving research and developmental activities; providing support to staff and students in the area of knowledge and skills acquisition; as well as enabling environment and sponsorships.As revealed by UNESCO-UNEVOC, “research is a critical factor in the innovation process, and without it there will be no innovation and technological advancement. The existence of i-hubs in YABTECH will incubate new ideas, develop innovation capacity.

culture and advocacy, engage ecosystem partners and assets, anticipate skill needs, target innovation for youths, adults and vulnerable groups, provide mix of innovation and technical skills, create new curricula and qualifications and empowering teachers and trainers to deliver new teaching and training processes.”

Also, UNESCO-UNEVOC centre recently organised stakeholders meeting to sensitise the school’s community about the i-hub, and the forthcoming visitation of the foreign assessors from October 21 to 25 to validate the college’s status as the only i-hub centre in Nigeria.

The purpose of the General Self Assessment (GSA) meeting is to familiarise internal and external stakeholders with strategic objectives of the skills for i-hub; consolidate an institution wide evidence basis of innovation in the institution that takes into account feedback from different stakeholders perspectives; and establish and measure key performance of key indicators that can be used to monitor progress over time for the institutions innovation development.