Yemi Olajutemu
Ado-Ekiti
No fewer than 55 technical teachers and instructors from six Government technical colleges in Ekiti State are currently undergoing trainings facilitated by the world-bank co-sponsored of Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS).
The training programme which was held in Ado Ekiti was attended by 250 technical teachers and instructors (TTIs) drawn from the States in the South West geopolitical zone.
Declaring the training open, the State Commissioner for Education, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye reiterated the resolve of the state government to driving the socio-economic development of the State through the use of knowledge economy and technology.
Aderiye who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Teaching Service Commission, Mr Michael Omolayo said Ekiti State is renowned as the fountain of knowledge and must therefore take the lead role by becoming the technological hub of the country.
She therefore charged the participants to exploit the values embedded in the training to scale the heights of the technologically advanced world.
The Commissioner who stressed that being technically inclined and innovative would help the teachers and instructors to be relevant in their respective trades or industry, charged them to effectively use the knowledge garnered at the training to improve the quality of technical education in their schools.
Earlier, the Chairman of Human resources Strategy for Skills Development (HRSSD) Engineer Ijoga stated that the focus of the 3 weeks training programme would be digital, pedagogical and trade specific skills.
Ejoga stated that the training which was the first in the series aims to bridge the significant gaps that have become increasingly obvious to employers, sponsors and parents, which were highlighted by the baseline study conducted at the inception of the IDEAS project by providing specialized training in digital, pedagogical, and trade-specific skills, that will enable the TTIs to create a dynamic learning environment and deliver up-to-date training to students in their respective schools and colleges.
The State Project Coordinator of Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Mrs Akinyemi Adenike said that the objective of the workshop was to improve the core competence of Technical Teachers to bring out the best in the students.
She added that the best cannot surface automatically unless a dedicated and formidable team, ready to sacrifice their time, intellect and labour to articulate the right strategies and painstakingly pay the price for excellence is formed.
Akinyemi charged participants to contribute their quota in their respective positions and not relent in their efforts to bring skills acquisition to an enviable standard that all shall be proud of.