At career quest, Aptech urges youths to be self-employed

Computer technology is considered key to today’s world, as it gives an avenue for exploits. Just recently, Aptech’s Lekki and Ajah centres held the 11th edition of their Career Quest programme in Lagos to sensitise parents, students and the public on the different trainings they offer. Aptech is a franchise computer technology education with a focus on ICT.

Speaking with The Guardian at the event, Aptech Lekki and Ajah Director, Mr Joe Ebinum, said the yearly programme was with support from international partners, Aptech Mumbai, which owns the Franchise in Nigeria and Middlesex University.

According to him, “we do this every year as a way of directing students to the future they could have, apart from writing JAMB and going to the university or Polytechnic. We preach that one does not have to go to a university to become a professional. By studying at Aptech for two years, they are exposed to far more than those who went to university for four years. Aptech’s vision is to bring Nigerian students to compete with the world best.”

On the partnership with Middlesex, Ebinum said, “by getting an Advance Diploma in Software Engineering (ADSE) certificate, you qualify to study at Middlesex for one year. One does not need a certificate to study at Aptech; it is open for all, including secondary school students. We push our students to be experts and be employers of labour themselves.”

He, however, stressed that connecting urban and rural areas into what Aptech does had been challenging as there were very few outlets in the rural areas. “The cost of studying at Aptech is a bit prohibited, then there is logistics,” he added.

The centre manager for both Lekki and Ajah, Adebite Olusegun, told The Guardian that the students were trained on software engineering, networking and digital marketing both in practical and theory aspects.

You can only but wonder how Aptech is still in business, because through adopting technology as a learning tool is spreading fast, Africa still has challenges arising from low penetration of tech tools, hence Olusegun was fast to point out some other challenges the centres face, “poor electricity and internet service are our major challenges.

Most of the materials we used are Internet-based, and that is why we don’t teach at the pace we are supposed to.”

He further noted that about 30 students graduate from the two centres every year.

General Manager Aptech International, Mr Kallol Mukharjee Aptech’s objective was to give back to the society. He noted, “Aptech has been in Nigeria for 21 years, with 28 centres across the country; seven million students trained across 40 countries, and the programmes are designed to suit each country.”

On Aptech’s partnership with Middlesex University, he said the varsity gives over 250 thousand scholarship on tuition to Aptech students on a yearly basis.

Also speaking, a representative from Middlesex University, Malta, Dr Clifford De Raffeale noted that the school has about 40 thousand students across the four campuses — Malta, Dubai, London and Mauritius.

Its areas of specialisation cut across a wide range of art and design, business and health, law, media and performing arts and science and technology. Adding that Aptech qualification provides the opportunity for the students to pursue a Middlesex University computing degree.

According to him, “you can choose to study at our flagship campus in London, or at our global campuses in Dubai, Malta or Mauritius where you will join current students on the first, second or third year of their course, along with other new students who are also topping up their qualification with us. Study for one, two or three years to gain a BSc qualification.”

Qualifications include Advance Diploma in Software Engineering (ADSE), Advance Diploma in Networking Technology (ADNT), Higher Diploma in Software Engineering and so on.

Two Aptech students were given 50 per cent scholarship through a raffle draw to study at Middlesex University. Aptech also gave scholarship to one aspiring student to study as Ajah or Lekki.

The event featured two presentations from students of Lekki and Ajah centres. They presented a website developed for e-commerce, the first to give buyers customised items. The other presentation was a website created to reduce the use of papers, especially for schools.