NADDC trains 2000 mechanics on modern engineering skills

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has trained more than 2,000 mechanics in modern engineering techniques.

The Director General of the Council, Aminu Jalal, stated this recently in Keffi, Nasarawa State, at the opening of automotive technicians training curriculum development, equipment and tools support for countrywide capacity building and skills development in Nigeria.

He explained that the training of the mechanics in modern technology between 2013 and 2015 came after the Council reviewed its curriculum.

He advised that for best practices in curriculum development, there is the need for the country to review training curriculum once every five years. This, he said, is to help local engineers and mechanics to keep abreast of latest innovations in the field.

The Director General also identified lack of basic understanding of electrical and electronics system also known as ‘mechatronics’ used in manufacture of modern cars as one of the major reason that Nigerian auto mechanics and engineers find it difficult to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.

He also pointed out that lack of access to modern equipment, lack of modern workshop experience, low environmental consciousness, and poor safety standards also constitute a limiting factor to local auto-engineers competitiveness with foreign contemporaries.

Jalal however explained that in order to reverse the capacity gap, NADDC in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the auto industry came up with the production of a new curriculum to remedy the skill gap.