The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is set to train over 800 artisans in Kaduna State.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The project will be executed in partnership with the World Bank, the Kaduna state government, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Housing Developers Institute.
The university’s Director of Media and Publicity, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, disclosed this shortly after a meeting between the institution and the said partners in Kaduna yesterday.
At the meeting, the Director of NOUN’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies and Lifelong Learning (CESLL), Professor Grace Joktan, disclosed that the training, which involves eight different trades, would be done in batches and would be certified after practicals and examinations were conducted.
She said: “This hands-on skill training is practical-oriented and will require some level of certification after a successful examination is carried out at the expiration of the programme.
“Already, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Abdalla Uba Adamu, has approved for the institution to conduct the training by the provision of a secretariat to be managed by an Assistant Registrar, developed a curriculum for the programme and provided all logistics required for the smooth operation of the training.
She added that the training, at the request of the Kaduna state government, is for the provision of skills to male and female artisans, and would for a start be targeted at four local government areas that make up the Kaduna metropolis, that is Igabi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South and Chikun.
Joktan added: “This training is also in line with the philosophy of the Vice-Chancellor in targeting the women folk as beneficiaries of the programme through the provision of incentives to attract women enrolment and participation.”
Speaking also at the meeting, the representatives of the World Bank, Ms. Johanne Buba and Mr. Andrew Gartside, expressed appreciation with the level of commitment of both the state government and NOUN towards the provision of entrepreneurial skills to artisans in Kaduna.
They implored individuals and organisations at all levels to key into the project.
The meeting was a final push by all stakeholders towards the commencement of the training scheduled to take place in two weeks’ time.
While the Kaduna state government sponsors the training, the World Bank provides the machines and tools needed for the training, Housing Developers Training Institute and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment are critical stakeholders in the project. NOUN is providing the platform and resources for the training.