The Federal University of Education, Zaria, has commenced its Compulsory Skills Development Training for final-year students as part of efforts to equip graduates with practical and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance after graduation.
A statement signed by Sani Lawal Maqarphy Media Aide to the VC said the orientation programme, organised by the Directorate of Skills Development and Linkages (DSD&L), is designed for both final-year NCE and undergraduate students to sensitise them on the importance of the initiative, which has been approved by the University Management.
Speaking at the orientation, the Director of the Directorate of Skills Development and Linkages, Prof. Amina Sani, said the training was designed to prepare students for life after graduation by providing them with practical and marketable skills that would complement their academic certificates.
Prof. Sani said the initiative follows the directive of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Yahaya Isa Bunkure, who, in his foresight, approved that every student of the University must acquire at least one practical skill before graduation as a prerequisite for completing their programme of study.
She noted that the Directorate offers training for the graduating students in shoes and bags making, make-up, cookware production, fashion design and garment making, solar installation, electrical installation, computer maintenance, phone repair, paint production and other vocational skills.
The Director also introduced the facilitators for the various training areas, including Mercy Emmanuel (Bags Making), A’isha Aliyu (Clothes Production), Habiba Habu (Bedsheets Production), Aliyu Abdullahi (Paint Production), and Yahaya Bashir Yahaya (Computer Hardware and GSM Repairs).
Sharing her experience during the orientation, one of the facilitators, Mercy Emmanuel, a 200-level student of the Department of Economics, said she had been engaged in bags making for seven years while pursuing her studies, and encouraged fellow students to regard skills acquisition as an investment in their future with dedication, consistency and hard work.
The Compulsory Skills Development training will hold every Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. during the final semester, with students expected to participate actively in their selected areas of specialisation.
