MTN Foundation promotes technical education as 4 Govt Technical Colleges get infrastructural support

4th April, 2011 - 8:21 AM

In line with its commitment to promoting technological training in technical and vocational institutions in Nigeria, the MTN Foundation, the Corporate Social Investment vehicle of MTN Nigeria has selected four government technical/vocational colleges to receive infrastructural development and training support under the Foundation¿s newly introduced Youth Skills Development Project (MTNF YSDP).

Under the new project initiative, the MTN Foundation will provide infrastructure upgrade including state-of-the-art equipment in six skill areas, namely electrical installation and maintenance, instrumentation mechanics, refrigeration and air conditioning, furniture design and construction, plumbing and pipe fitting, fabrication and welding. The project also covers supply of necessary consumables, materials and accessories, installation and application training and retraining for the teachers of the colleges, as well as relevant staff of the regulatory and examination bodies.

The four government technical colleges selected to benefit from the pilot phase of the project are Government Technical College, Ikorodu, Lagos State; Government Technical College, Owo, Ondo State; Government Technical College, Malali, Kaduna State; and Government Technical College, Farfaru, Sokoto State.

According to a statement issued by the Foundation, a total of six government technical colleges across the country were initially projected to benefit from the first phase of the project, but after a thorough assessment of the shortlisted colleges only four mentioned met the set criteria.

Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria and Director, MTN Foundation, Mr. Akinale Goodluck, said, the basic objective of the initiative is to  improve the quality of technical training available in  the country, as well as  boost the capacity of Nigerian youths to be self-reliant and contribute to the country¿s socio-economic development.

¿Technical education is often overlooked by players in the private and public sector, even though all agree that technical/vocational colleges play a very important role in human capital development. MTN Foundation is keen to see a positive change, and this is why we have introduced this project,¿ he explained.

He said the scope of the Foundation¿s intervention in the colleges will be broad based, covering refurbishment and infrastructural upgrade with emphasis on structural/building upgrade, electrical and mechanical works, burglar-proofing, and provision of access ramp at relevant locations for accessibility to persons living with disabilities. In addition, he said, the Foundation will drill a new borehole or repair existing ones in the colleges, install a 60 KVA generator and four units of 2 Horsepower Air Conditioner for each Laboratory (4 per laboratory, making a total of 16 per college).

Since its establishment in 2004, the MTN Foundation has invested N5 billion naira in various social investment initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life in communities across the country. The Foundation¿s corporate social investment is focused on three pivotal areas namely health, education and economic empowerment.
The Foundation currently has 292 project-sites across the 36 States of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.