No fewer than thirty seven Engineering students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD) have arrived in China over the weekend on a 20-day Advanced Practical Training in Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Technologies under a Student Exchange Partnership with Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, ZUME, Hangzhou, China.

The Director of Corporate Affairs of ABUAD, Mr Tunde Olofintila spoke yesterday in a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti.

According to him, the students were accompanied by the Provost of the University’s College of Engineering, Prof. Moses Femi Onibonoje and Dr. Imhade Princess Okokpujie, an Associate Professor of Mechatronics.

Statement said that the current trip by the students, was a follow up to a 2024 Agreement between ZUME and ABUAD, adding that the students in Mechatronics Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical & Electronics Engineering would be participating in an intensive practical training programme in Intelligent Manufacturing Technology and Intelligent Control Technology.

Olofintila said that the exchange program are designed to provide practical exposure on emerging industrial technologies and global best practices in Engineering Innovation.

“The Students Exchange Programme is the result of the 2024 strategic working visit to China by ABUAD Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, and the Director of International Collaboration & Linkages, Professor Adeniran Afolalu, during which different robust academic and institutional collaborations were established between ABUAD and three distinguished Chinese institutions, namely, Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (ZUME), Hangzhou, China, Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology (SIIT), Shenzhen, China and ChinesePlus, Beijing, China.

“To give verve and value to the Exchange Programme, the first tranche of 37 ABUAD Engineering students were given a two-month theoretical training component by ABUAD College of Engineering during which a strong academic foundation for the practical component for the programme in China was laid.

“This unique blend of theoretical and practical learning typifies ABUAD’s commitment to producing globally competitive graduates equipped with requisite industry-relevant skills that will make them relevant in the ever-competitive global employment market.

“The participation of ABUAD students in this international training underscores its unwavering commitment to fostering global partnerships, enhancing experiential learning and preparing future Engineers for the rapidly evolving technological landscape.”

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, commended the Chinese University for the realization of the partnership agreement between the two universities.

Her words: “History is being made again in this university. We are particularly happy that the dream and vision of our Founder & Chancellor to provide quality, functional and impactful education has again assumed a new dimension with the trip of our students to China for practical training.

“This partnership, as usual, signals a remarkable handshake between our two institutions in the training of a new generation of graduates who will obtain not only academic certificates, but ones backed with practical industry exposure. This partnership is designed to develop their analytical thinking, innovation capacity and technical competence in modern engineering practice”.