Groups launch engineering training scheme to bridge manpower gap

The Energy Institute Nigeria in partnership with Lonadek’s Cedar Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Centre (STEM) and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), have launched a four-month Graduate Engineering Training Scheme (GETS) as part of efforts to address the power gaps in Nigeria using conventional and non-conventional sources of energy.

GETS is designed to deploy state-of-the-art technology to stimulate innovation and close the gap between theory and practice as it seeks to empower beneficiaries to become best-fit professionals, with a focus on priority sectors of the economy to include energy, power, infrastructure and agriculture.

The GETS project is in tandem with the four cardinal objectives of RAE Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) Africa Catalyst Award and part of Energy Institute’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, a point-based programme designed for students, graduates and young professionals to encourage continuous training, learning and development of engineering professionals within the energy industry throughout their careers.

Individuals who choose to participate will learn through conferences, seminars and workshops, facility tours,site-based experiences, individual and group projects.

Commenting on the scheme, the Managing Director of Energy Institute Nigeria, Yewande Abiose, said, the scheme will focus on developing well-rounded energy and power engineers with technical know-how to generate clean and reliable sources of power that can be used in Nigerian communities.

Abiose said: “Our long-term goal is to develop sustainable and renewable power supply sources which would to add to Nigeria’s existing on-grid sources of power and also off-grid sources to local communities, thereby providing assistance in meeting the power generation targets of Nigeria with a net effect of spurring industrialization, entrepreneurship and economic development”.

Principal consultant, Lonadek, Dr. Ibilola Amao, said that the Graduate Engineering and Training Scheme (GETS) includes site/field work, HSSE and QA/QC which is not currently part of the curriculum of higher learning institutions. On-the-job exposure with mentors, coaches and supervisors, multi-disciplinary training shall be delivered to harness holistic capabilities that are critical to professionalism and entrepreneurship.

Through real-time tracking of power supply at home and remote areas, the programme would equip participants with experience, knowledge, skills and good practice that will address power related issues in Nigeria.

The GETS program shows Energy Institute’s commitment to developing Engineering professionals and sharing knowledge, skills and good practice to participate in and drive national and regional development in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other partners include Yaba College of Technology and the International Human Resources Development Corporation (IHRDC), who will support the scheme with laboratory requirements and E-Learning, respectively.