No fewer than 250 teachers of technical subjects and instructors have benefitted from a training facilitated by the World-Bank co-sponsored of Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS).
The training programme which focused on Digital, Pedagogical and Trade-specific skills was held in Ado Ekiti, with technical teachers and instructors (TTIs) drawn from the States in the South West geopolitical zone in attendance.
Speaking at the event, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye reiterated the resolve of the state government to driving the socio-economic development of the State through the use of knowledge economy and technology.
Aderiye who was represented by the Executive Secretary Board for Technical and Vocational Education, Mr Thomas Oguntunji said Ekiti State is renowned as the Fountain of Knowledge and must therefore take the lead role by becoming the technological hub of the country.
The Commissioner who stressed that being technically inclined and innovative would help the teachers and instructors to be relevant in their respective trades or industry, charged them to effectively use the knowledge garnered at the training to improve the quality of technical education in their schools.
Earlier in remarks, the Chairman of Human resources Strategy for Skills Development (HRSSD) Engineer Ejoga stated that the training which was the first in the series was organized to bridge the significant gaps that have become increasingly obvious to employers, sponsors and parents, which were highlighted by the baseline study conducted at the inception of the IDEAS project by providing specialized training in digital, pedagogical, and trade-specific skills, that will enable the TTIs to create a dynamic learning environment and deliver up-to-date training to students in their respective schools and colleges.
The State Project Coordinator of Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Mrs Akinyemi Adenike in his welcome remarks said that the objective of the workshop was to improve the core competence of Technical Teachers to bring out the best in the students.
Akinyemi charged participants to contribute their quota in their respective positions and not relent in their efforts to bring skills acquisition to an enviable standard that all shall be proud of.
One of the attendees from Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Adeoti said that the training has reoriented him in no measure, especially in the areas of preparing a skill-based lesson note, mode of communication with students, assessment and evaluation process, which are integral part of teaching.
Also, Mr Eze Valentine from Ogun State stated that the training has availed him the opportunity to acquire new skills and current knowledge from the wealth of knowledge of the resource persons invited for the training, hoping to impart them on his students.
Certificates of Attendance were presented to the participants after the 3 week training program.
The IDEAS Programme is a World Bank assisted project aimed at improving skills acquisition in Nigeria using a comprehensive approach and addressing key aspects of the skills development delivery system. It leverages industry involvement for better labour market fit and crowding in of private resources in the formal training system.
