Skill Acquisition: Panacea To Unemployment – OSCOTECH Rector

A call has gone to leaders in the country to redirect the nation’s educational policy from emphasis on paper qualification to skill acquisition in order to bridge the gap of graduate unemployment.

Rector, Osun State College of Technology, Esa-Oke, Dr.Samson Adegoke who gave the insight in Osogbo, Osun State Capital,while delivering a paper titled “Empowering Nigerians For Life In The Changing World Of Work; The Imperative Of TVET And Micro-Credentials” at the second Quarterly Intellectual Discourse Programme organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council.

The Rector said the current penchant for certificate acquisition is at variance with the nation’s economic development, advocate for skills acquisition through Technical and Vocational Education And Training (TVET) as a way of preparing for life of work.

Dr Adegoke,who noted that in the face of rapidly changing technological demands which requires that workers continuously update their knowledge and skills, Technical and Vocational Education And Training TVET,

He noted that this will adequately prepare youths of work through the flexibility embedded in TVET training, which allows for the provision of broad based technical knowledge on which different occupation can be developed, saying Technical and Vocational Education And Training TVET should be the vanguard of development for the nation.

Speaking on the benefits derivable from Micro- Credentials which focused on cutting-edge abilities and technologies, which enable workers to keep up with the recent developments in their respective industries, submitted that Micro-Credentials provides opportunities for workers to stay relevant through re-skilling and upskilling.

To Dr.Adegoke, Micro-Credentials provide a flexible and effective method of learning, enabling people to gain specific skills and thus increase their employability in a dynamic world of work.

In their separate remarks on the occasion, Chairman of the occasion,Prince Diran Odeyemi and Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment,Oluomo Kolapo Alimi reiterated the need for the country to redesign its education policy towards laying emphasis on Technical and Vocational Skills so as to bridge the gap of unemployment, noting that the world is tending towards technological developments, and therefore canvassed for less reliant on paper qualifications.

In his remarks, the Apetumodu of Ipetumodu ,Oba(Prof) Joseph Olugbenga Oloyede,who was the Royal Father of the Day, charged youths to strive to acquire necessary technical and vocational training in order to be relevant in a changing technological developments.

Oba Oloyede emphasised the need for government at all level to focus more on skills acquisition to reduce rate of unemployment in the country.

Earlier in his welcome address, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, Comrade Wasiu Ajadosu reiterated the need to continually educate the public on the changing technological advancement so as to meet up with other nations of the world who have embraced technical and vocational knowledge as a way to technological developments.

Comrade Ajadosu noted that the Intellectual Discourse was programmed as a means of contributing to the development of the nation.

The programme held at the NUJ Press Centre,Iwo/Osogbo Road was attended by members of the academia,media professionals, members of the civil societies and the public.