VC advocates vocational courses in varsities

The Federal government has been advised to ensure that all Universities in the country establish vocational centres in their institutions to train the students to acquire vocational skills.

The Vice-Chancellor of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, Professor Oluyemisi Obilade who spoke in Ijebu-Ode yesterday said this would go a long way to equip Nigerians youths to acquire the skills to strengthen the country’s industrial and construction sectors.

Besides, Obilade insisted it would also put the beneficiaries in a position not to depend solely on white-collar jobs after their education.

The don who spoke at a press conference to herald the activities of the university’s 10th year anniversary insisted that equipping many Nigerian youths with skills would drastically reduce unemployment rate in the country.

The 10th anniversary, which begins on Friday, November, 20 is scheduled to end on Saturday, November, 28 with the 6th and 7th convocation ceremonies of the university. The university is owned by the Ogun State government.

She stressed “TASUED established the Centre for the Entrepreneurship and Vocational Studies (CENVOS) to further equip the students against unemployment challenges in the country. These vocational skills have actually paid off for our University as many of our graduates are now employers of labour rather than looking endlessly for scarce white collar jobs”.

Her words “It is unfortunate that in Nigeria we place more emphasises on white collar jobs. Instead we have to train our students to value the work of their hands because it pays”.

The University don disclosed that the University is on the verge of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mt. Sierra College, California, USA, explaining that that MoU would entail sharing of ideas, researches and also streamlining of curricula with the institution.

Obilade said that the school had, since inception awarded 129 Master’s Degrees and also have a stable academic calendar, which she attributed to a well-planned internal control measures. She disclosed that the school had become a resource centre for institutions both in Nigeria and outside the country, explaining that graduates of the school would be issued two certificates after their studies “one in their primary course and the other in vocational skills”.

The Vice-Chancellor mentioned human capital development as one of the achievements of the school, disclosing that 150 academic staff and non-academic staff had been sponsored to conferences, workshops and seminars both home and abroad. She added that some of their staff are currently on their PHD programmes abroad.

She lamented that funding had been the major challenge of the university but said, “We believe we must think outside the box for sustainability of this University to meet the current University needs”.

Obilade further disclosed that all the university’s programmes are 100 percent accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC), saying, “We do not run any illegal programme, all our programmes are certified by NUC”.

The Vice-Chancellor said, “In my maiden address in the University I remarked that I have not come as a liquidator or an undertaker. I have come to take the University to greater heights from where I met it. I thank God that we have been successful in this regard. Our achievements have been as a result of collective efforts.