Poly proprietor seeks partnership for entrepreneurial development in A’Ibom

Akpan Umoh, Uyo

The Proprietor, Ibom Metropolitan Polytechnic, Uyo, Mr Victor Williams, has called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to partner with the institution in driving the entrepreneurial and vocational skills initiative for the development of the economy.

In an interview with newsmen on Saturday, the Proprietor made the call shortly after the unveiling of the Entrepreneurial Club by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in Uyo.

Williams said the institution in an attempt to key into the ARISE agenda of Governor Umo Eno is training about 1000 indigenes on skill acquisitions such as oil and gas, fabrication, welding, and plumbing among others.

The proprietor urged the governor to assist the trainees by sponsoring their global certification.

He said that his Polytechnic is already in partnership with the  University of Texas petroleum training department as well as the City and Guild of London vocational training centre.

He noted that certification from those international institutions gives his trainees and students leverage to get good employment abroad or in other multinational companies in Nigeria.

He said that many Oil and Gas companies and multinational industries value expertise and skills in specialised fields more than university certificates. 

“We are so concerned with preparing our students with specific training and skills alongside the academic certificates. We want the government to sponsor the global certification of the 1000 Akwa Ibom people we are training.

“We don’t need the money. If you train people and give them the University of Uyo or Lagos certificate, it will not cross the border, but if you give them the certificate from the City and Guild of London Institute, it is recognised in over 150 countries in the world. 

“Most of our students that left Lagos for the UK, and the US have City and Guild certificates.

 “If the state government can do that for them, I will put them in the world employment fora in such a way that if a job comes out, they will be called.  

“As we are suffering unemployment many countries do not suffer it, they are even looking for people that will do the work but you must have the right qualifications.

“We need to prepare our people and equip them with international certification so that they can travel out and bring the foreign exchange.

“What we want the government to do is to sponsor the international certification, we will support them in offering the free training,” Williams said.

Earlier, the Rector, Mr Nnamonso Akpabio urged the Akwa Ibom State government to partner with the institution by building a three-storey entrepreneurial hub that would accommodate all the training departments in the school.

He also commended SMEDAN for the choice of the institution to inaugurate the entrepreneurial club. 

Akpabio urged the students to maximise the opportunity by taking all that would be taught seriously as such a gesture would give them an additional advantage on graduation.

The Director General of SMEDAN, who inaugurated the entrepreneurial club, Mr Charles Odii, urged the students to be innovative and aspire to launch their products before graduation.

Odii, represented by the SMEDAN State Manager in Akwa Ibom, Mrs Lucy Ekpenyong, promised to support them to have access to mentorship programmes and funding opportunities.

The DG said the essence of inaugurating the club was to empower students with requisite entrepreneurial skills to be self-reliant and productive upon graduation.