NBTE trains 250 lecturers on revised entrepreneurship for job creation

By Biola Adebayo On Sep 28, 2023

NBTE ,entrepreneurship, educators ,polytechnics, — NBTE trains 400 entrepreneurship educators in polytechnics, others

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) says the reviewed entrepreneurship and skills development curricula is meant to give students pre-requisite knowledge of creating job and being employers of labour after school.

The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, said this in Enugu during a National Workshop on the Reviewed Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Curricula for Entrepreneurship Educators in Nigeria Polytechnics and similar institutions.

The two-day workshop, which is being attended by 250 lecturers from polytechnics, mono-technics, and related technical institutions in Southeast, is organized by NBTE in collaboration with Danglo Management and Financial Limited, sponsored by Tertiary Education Fund (TetFund).

The theme of the workshop is “new approach to entrepreneurship curricula delivery”.

Bugaje, represented by Dr Kabiru Yar’adua, said that the reviewed curricula would allow the students to graduate with a dual certification – normal school certificate (degree) and skill (occupational) certificate that would encourage them to establish a business or trade.

“Our objective is clear – to ensure that our technical education curriculum aligns with the demands of the modern economy, embraces emerging technologies, and fosters a spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

“To achieve this, we must collaborate, share our expertise, and engage in open and constructive dialogue throughout the workshop,” he said.

The executive secretary said that due to changing times and modern needs, the focus of the board had changed from degree acquisition to skill proficiency and employment creation.

“Thus, we intend to equip students to make direct socio-economic impact in their environment, create jobs and eliminate unemployment and idleness,” he said.

He lauded the various stakeholders for their support in ensuring the review and circulation of the entrepreneurship curricula after 17 years.

He said, “for now entrepreneurship and skill acquisition is compulsory for every student in NBTE-regulated institutions”.

Mrs Ngozi Okelekwe, South-East Director of NBTE, said that the revised curricula on entrepreneurship education was expected to enlighten the instructors on the systems that would bring about the expected results.

“This is particularly on the establishment of functional skill centers, recognition of skills from the non-formal sector, and involving them in the training,” Okelekwe said.

She appreciated TetFund, and NBTE management for sponsorship of the workshop and the private monotechnics and institutions for sponsoring their staff to the workshop.

Dr Musa Koko, Director, Curriculum Development Department of NBTE, noted that before now, the existing entrepreneurship study which had lasted for over 17 years, had been obsolete and not meeting modern job creation and employability demands.

“So, we are here to ensure that the reviewed entrepreneurship curricula should work for all our students, irrespective of discipline or department, and ensure we achieve the deliverables from this modernized entrepreneurship curricula,” Koko said.

Prof. E.A, Dangana, Lead Consultant of Danglo Management and Financial Limited, said that entrepreneurship at Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) had been the bedrock of fast-developing nations across the world.

“Entrepreneurship is driven by opportunity, necessity, and environment and we must make such knowledge to be at the back of the minds of all our students going forward,” Dangana said. (NAN)