TRAINING OF ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS AND

CRAFTSMEN AS A VEHICLE OF TRANSFORMATION

By

Engr Dr M. I. Oseni, FNATE, FRHD, MSESN, MNSE, R. COREN

Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Agriculture
P. M. B. 2373
Makurdi, Nigeria

A paper presented at the 21st COREN Engineering Assembly held on 4th and 5th September , 2012 in Abuja

TRANSFORMATION GOALS
Economic development performance based on sound planning and
implementation
Peaceful polity
Stable macroeconomy
Adequate infrastructure
Modern and vibrant education
A health sector that sustains life expectancy
Modern technologically enabled agriculture
Vibrant Globally competitive manufacturing

Labour Market Metrics

Despite Nigerias abundant mineral resources, demographic
figures put Nigeria as very poor because of underdeveloped
human and natural resources
Estimated population = About 167 Million
Annual birth rate = 6 Million
GDP per Capita = $2000
Basic and compulsory education = Age 6-14years
10% of eligible children unable to go to school
Success rate of primary school final grade = 75%
Of the 75% eligible for secondary school education, enrolment
is put at 30% i.e. 70% drop out.

 132 accredited technical colleges and 70 vocational enterprises centres

have dilapidated and obsolete facilities
Nigerias accredited Polytechnics and 164 Monotechnics in 2009 could
only admit 22% of total applicant while 2010 was only 3%.
Nigerias 122 Universities can accommodate 45% of applicants
Only 28% of secondary school students who are qualified to apply to the
Universities and polytechnics are admitted and
There is not enough vocational institutions that can handle the remaining
72%.
Aggregate drop out of the educational system = over 30 Million
Unemployment figures = 49 Million with 52% of this unemployable i.e. No
skills.

SOME POSSIBLE VEHICLES OF TRANSFORMATION

Skilled Engineering Technicians with Ordinary National Diploma (OND),
City and Guilds Technician Certificates Parts 1-3 or equivalent vocational
certificates/diploma, with practical skills and techniques related to a
specific engineering assignment and with general understanding of
engineering concepts.
Skilled Engineering Craftsmen with Government Trade tests, City and
Guilds Craft certificates or equivalent craft vocational certificates and with
skills to produce the materials and products or facilities specified by a
design, obtained primarily through on-the-job training.
Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen are vocational skills practitioners
in the Engineering family and are trained through mainstream education
and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION

Mainstream Education
Basic Primary Schools
Secondary Schools
Polytechnics and Monotechnics
Universities
The Engineering Technician is awarded OND after two years of study in the
polytechnics and monotechnics as the qualifying certificate

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) prepares Engineering
Technicians and Craftsmen for jobs that are based on manual or practical
activities, traditionally not academic, and totally related to a specific trade,
occupation or vocation.

Entry points into TVET includes Post basic and post secondary education,
Transition between technical cadres, on the job training, change of job,
termination, retraining, etc.

 A good certification and recertification system regulates activities in a

TVET framework.
TVET is guided by a National Vocational Qualifications Framework
(NVQF) that standardizes skill acquisition among Engineering Technicians
and Craftsmen and facilitates horizontal, vertical and diagonal trade or
professional mobility.
Whether formal, non-formal or informal education, NVQF provides
common platform of interaction between TVET skill trainers, trainees and
employers to implement, evaluate, monitor and control TVET towards
production of Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen with acceptable
skills.
TVET fuelled the engine of economic growth and productivity of western
industrialized nations.

COMPETENCES

Skilled Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen should possess;

technical competences,
human and social competences
competences in learning
changing methodologies.
THE SKILLS TRIANGLE
Job
Skills
Technical Skills
Essential Skills

 Skills triangle depicts the order vocational skills acquisition and training of
Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen should follow to produce
Technicians and Craftsmen with employable skills achieved by a synthesis
of efforts of the Trainers, Employers and policy formulators.
Essential Skills
Essential skills are foundational skills required to learn other skills or
competences required in the work place.
Comprises proficiency in reading text document use, writing, numeracy,
oral communication, critical thinking, working with others in collaborative
environment, using computers and digital technology, continuous learning
etc.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
estimates that increasing essential skills by 1% increases productivity by
2.5%.
Essential skills required for different jobs differ and by use of
Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) tools such as Test of
Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), the level of mastery of essential
skills of existing and potential staff can be identified.

 Technical Skills
Technical skills are occupation- specific skills that can be acquired by any
one or a combination of learning types that include on-line, facilitated,
instructed, and blended or replication of realities (world of work, academics
and home life).
It is estimated that 80% of jobs worldwide require technical and vocational
skills; but a mismatch is often observed between required technical skills in
the job place and training provided by training institutions leading to 40%
global youth unemployment
Technical skills are obtained in an educational system that is responsive,
applied and demand-driven equipping workmen with skills for todays jobs
and into the future (skill-based curriculum).

 Job Skills
Job skills are employer and workplace specific and require the
consideration of employers needs in the formulation of training curricula.
At policy level, reforms that better aligns training with employment
realities are supported
At institutional levels, capacity building of institutions to design and
deliver demand-driven, competency-based training programmes
complements the development of entrepreneurial services and management
within training institutions.
Creation of networks for more effective sharing of knowledge,
experience, best practices and innovations are carried out at national and
international levels.

TRAINING OF ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS AND

CRAFTSMEN IN OTHER
COUNTRIES
Different countries have different policies on the training of Engineering
Technicians and Craftsmen with various outcomes but a common feature in
most countries is that training in mainstream and TVET education system is
demand-driven and market controlled with interaction between Trainees,
Trainers and the labor market.
Brazil

Brazil runs a dual education system comprising post-secondary

undergraduate and sequential programmes.
Structural change in the economy from ;low-productivity agricultural
economy to higher-productivity industry and services economy under
SENAI (National Services for Industrial Apprenticeship)
Introduced the sequential vocational skills programme as alternative to
conventional university education
TVET in sequential programmes involves general education, the study of
technologies and related sciences as well as the acquisition of special skills,
attitudes, understanding and knowledge related occupations in various
sectors of economic and social life.

 Funded through 1% levy from industries in Brazil and does not refund any
portion back to the industries
SENAI runs over 700 Industrial Skills Training Centres
SENAI produces over 1,000,000 Tainees annually.
Malaysia
Runs a dual educational system
Vocational study starts from upper primary school level to lower secondary
school level and is broad based and non-terminal.
Most technical secondary schools have been converted to vocational
secondary schools to meet the demands of National Dual Training System
(NDTS) following the German model.
The system stresses the combination and interrelation of hands-on training at the
industry workplace with classroom training in specialized training institutions
established by Government

114 industrial skills training institutes in addition to Centre for Instructors

and Advanced Skills Training (CIAST).
Maintains collaboration by the establishment of the Japan-Malaysia
Technical Institute (JMTI) and four Advanced Technology Centres
(ADTECs).
Its progress attributed to the aggressive drive towards industrial skill
acquisition for its population of 27 million people.

 China
vocational education is carried out respectively by elementary and
secondary vocational schools and tertiary vocational schools or schools of
higher education
a subsisting law mandates that all types of vocational schools must have
qualified teachers, teaching venues that meet the standards and installation
of equipment consistent with vocational training needs of industries
Funds for operating the schools are stable and personnel who are
compatible with the task of vocational training are highly motivated
Vocational schools of all kinds can also collect tuition fees from students.

Japan
A quarter of upper secondary school students take specialized or vocational
courses, usually within the school setting.
Vocational skills training is delivered in wide variety of settings including
formal educational institutions, workplaces, distance learning or in selfdirected setting.

 Activities can include learning for qualifications, training for specific skills,
training for softer management skills, leadership and development skills,
certifications, professional training, etc.
Germany
Technical vocational training is enshrined in the dual educational system
After graduation from lower secondary education, two-thirds of Germans
entering the upper secondary education enter the vocational education
system.
Approximately 51% of all young people under 22 have completed an
apprenticeship and vocational training.
This has enabled Germany to maintain its position among the industrialized
nations.
In the Dual System Students spend some of their time in a vocational school;
where students spend one- two days per week at the vocational school and
three-four days doing the apprenticeship at the host company

 Australia
Technicians and Craftsmen are trained Australian TVET system mostly at
post-secondary school level by registered training organizations.
The system includes public, Technical and Further Education (TAFE), and
private providers.
Assessment of standards for different vocational qualifications is done
under a national frame work comprising Australian Quality Training
Framework, Australian Qualification Framework and Industry Training
packages .
United Kingdom
The UK runs the tripartite system
of grammar schools, secondary technical schools and secondary modern
schools introduced in 1944 with bodies such as Royal Society for the
encouragement of Arts (RSA) and City and Guilds setting examination for
technical subjects.
Training of Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen boosted by the
establishment of bodies such as British and Technology Education Council,
Youth Training Scheme, National Vocational Qualifications and General
National Vocational Qualifications.

 United States of America

Technicians and Craftsmen are trained mostly in postsecondary technical
and vocational training schools provided by proprietary (privately owned)
career schools and military technical training government-operated adult
education centers coordinated by Association for Career and Technical
Education (ACTE)
ACTE is the largest private association dedicated to the advancement of
education of Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen and prepares youth
and adults for careers.
Canada
Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen are trained by TVET institutions
such as community colleges and polytechnic universities owned by
provincial governments.
Curricula of Technicians and Craftsmen training are provincial and
demand-driven.
TVET institutions are equipped and run by provincial governments under
the national regulatory laws and coordination by Association of Canadian
Community Colleges (ACCC).

STATUS OF ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS AND

CRAFTSMEN TRAINING IN NIGERIA

Technical Vocational Schools in Nigeria

Trade Schools
Technical Colleges
Vocational Enterprises Institutes
Innovation Enterprises Institutes
Polytechnics/Monotechnics
ITFS Industrial Skills Training Centres
Vocational Training Workshops
SMEDANS Industrial Development Centres
NMECs Vocational Crafts Centres

TVET Entry Points

Post basic education
Post Junior Secondary education
Post Senior Secondary education
Post Tertiary education

Certification
Trade tests
City and Guilds of London
National Vocational Certificates (NVC)
National Innovation Diploma (NID)
National Diploma (ND)
Competence Certificates
No National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF)
National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) regulates the training of Engineering
Technicians and Craftsmen in diverse institutions in Nigeria. It is also pioneering the
establishment of an NVQF for the country

 The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) was set up under Act No 47 of 1971 as
amended by Industrial Training Fund (Amendment) Act, 2011, to provide,
promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce
with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient
to meet the needs of the economy.
ITF has established five Industrial skills Training Centres
Industrial Skills Training Centre (ISTC), Ikeja
Industrial Skills Training Centre (ISTC), Kano
Centre for Excellence (CE), Jos
Model Skills Training Centre (MSTC), Abuja
Industrial Skills Training Centre (ISTC), Lokoja
ITF has just unveiled the National Industrial Skills Development
Programme (NISDP) aimed at supporting the National Industrial
Revolution Plan (NIRP) of Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment.
National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-Formal Education
(NMEC) was established in 1990 as part of a national drive to eliminate
illiteracy in Nigeria and make beneficiaries self-reliant through vocational
crafts skill acquisition.

 graduates of NMECs vocational crafts skill centres are primarily

Craftsmen but there is no NVQF for proper placement.
NMEC has proposed 37 additional vocational crafts centres and 10 adult
education centres.
Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) regulates
the practice of engineering and engineering trades.
new graduates of TVET system comprising Technicians and Craftsmen
may not enjoy the protection the engineering family affords unless a NVQF
is in place for proper placement and recognition.

BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS AND

CRAFTSMEN TRAINING
Impart skills for jobs that really exist, and will continue to be available.
Today many of these jobs are unfilled because there are no qualified people
for it. This would boost employment.
Stop our dependence on skilled labour imported from neighbouring
countries.
Make it unnecessary for multinationals operating in Nigeria to import
expensive skilled labour from OECD countries.
Technical Vocational skills acquisition by Technicians and Craftsmen
would also boost our competitiveness through reduced costs and reliable
workers. The skilled labour we import is expensive; our workers are not
adequately skilled and so are unreliable.
A vast skill-base among our youth would increase our attraction for Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI) that would boost our economy. Presently we
cannot yet compete with the likes of Brazil and India where FDIs are
creating jobs because skilled labour is available.

 We need to improve the quality of work done by our technicians and other
support labour. This would reduce repetitions and waste.
Technicians and Craftsmen with technical vocational training provides
reasonable and constructive choices to our youth for career development,
driven by the natural gifts they have so we put round pegs in round holes.
Provide more routes for entrepreneurship. This allows us to reduce the
carnage presently caused by crude apprenticeship systems.
Gives our youth more confidence and self-belief, and thereby reduce the
distractions that lead to crime and other vices.

DECLINE OF ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN AND CRAFTSMEN

TRAINING
Faulty educational policies that neglected TVET
Demise of industries
Lack of NVQF
Poor funding (education funding still below UNESCO minimum of 26%in 2010, only 8% was allocated)
Lack of basic infrastructure

THE WAY FORWARD

Good Governance
Standardization and Mobility of Competence (NVQF)
Review of a Vocational Practice Regulatory Section in COREN
Strengthening the technical and vocational education
curriculum
Collaboration between Stakeholders
Collaborations/Partnerships (on and off- shore like GMI, BMI and MFI all
in Malaysia)
Establishment of Advanced Skills Training Institutes
Establishment of more technical and vocational schools

Human Capital Building (on and off-shore for trainers/trainees)

Funding
Infrastructural Development
Service Revaluation

CONCLUSION
Whereas some highly specialized jobs exist in both the public
and private sectors of the Nigerian economy, qualified workers
are hard to come by. Structured and coordinated TVET is on
the decline and so are adequate Engineering Technicians and
Craftsmen training. ITF, NBTE and COREN in partnership
with NECA and SMEDAN have worked hard within lean
resources and inauspicious times to uplift TVET but with
limited result. These organizations could do better with
collaboration from the industry and off-shore partnerships. The
future of the country is bright as long as current efforts to
massively train Engineering Technicians and Craftsmen are
sustained by placing TVET in the front burner along with the
power sector.

THANK YOU