YABATECH Partners With Commonwealth of Learning To Boost Nigerian Youths Skill In ICT

Nigeria's premier tertiary institution, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) have signed a joint agreement aim at ensuring  youth employability through the development of digital learning materials and delivery of training for youths in some specialized  ICT skill areas. 

With  the agreement  COL will  provide a grant to build the capacities of lecturers at the College and master-craft persons at Computer Village in Ikeja to collaboratively design and develop high-quality course materials and conduct skills training using Open, Distance, and Flexible Learning approaches and technologies.

According to Dr. I. A. Abdul, the Director of Yabatech Centre for Open Distance and Flexible e-Learning (CODFeL), this project is a follow-up to the successful completion of a pilot phase of the Skills-in-Demand (SID) project during which experts from the Centre partnered with industry experts to implement a blend of workplace and distance learning approach in upgrading informal apprenticeship.

 The current project will involve establishing an Industry Advisory Committee (IAC) for ICT at Yabatech, which will provide industry perspectives during the design, development, and delivery of all ICT programs. 

This will foster the employability of College graduates by practically bridging the existing gap between the institution and industry, he stated 

The project will also entail training of interested students of the College on mobile phone and computer repairs jointly by industry experts and lecturers to attain a National Skills Qualification Certificate of Competency in addition to their National Diploma Certificate.

The director urges more development partners and industry experts to explore the collaboration opportunities provided by the College to further boost youth employability in the country.

The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) was established in 1987 by Commonwealth Heads of Government “to create and widen access to opportunities for learning, making use of the potential offered by distance education and by the application of communication technologies to education"