Wellspring University engages students on skills-based ICT test for employability

As part of efforts to tackle increasing unemployment, Wellspring University, Benin City, Edo State, is reviewing its curricula to be skills-based and certified in Information Communication Technology (ICT) for self-sufficiency.

The vice-chancellor, Prof. Isaac Ajayi, who disclosed this at a media parley, said with the support of the management team, the institution is set to transform university education in Nigeria and make Wellspring a leading research university in Africa.

He said: “To achieve this goal, we are currently reviewing our curricula to be skills-based by ensuring that each of our students is ICT certificated and undergo entrepreneurship training. We want to make our graduates employable.”

The vice-chancellor added that the institution is promoting industry collaboration to unlock entrepreneurial ideas in students and ensure that they develop a sustainable enterprise that will lead to economic independence.

“Our ultimate goal is to have graduates that would be creative, innovative, employable and globally competitive. Graduates that will be patriotic. We believe that this is achievable by the grace of God.”

Founder and Senior Pastor of Trinity House Church, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, called for urgent attention on the sector to reduce the number of out-of-school children.

Ighodalo said: “Education is the bedrock of society. Nelson Mandela said the most important thing in life is education. It is a very big crisis in Nigeria that we have 12 million if not 14 million out-of-school children. It is a big crisis but we may not see the effect of this crisis until about 10 or 20 years later when the security situation in Nigeria becomes a challenge and a problem. The reason we have hoodlums and beggars is simply that people do not have the knowledge and are not well educated.”

Former governor Peter Obi, who spoke on the need to improve the system appealed to Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to provide funds for private universities for holistic improvement in the sector.

Obi added that to improve the quality of education and reduce the numbers of Nigerians travelling out for education tourism, funds should also be given to private institutions that have structures to change the current narratives.