Ogun partners World Bank to improve artisans' training

.  Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, Commissioner for                    Education, Science and Technology

Ogun State Government is partnering with the World Bank to bring artisans together with a bid to regularise and improve on the traditional apprenticeship system and also engage out-of-school children into the informal education sector.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu made this known in Abeokuta, at the education sector stakeholders' forum organised by his Ministry, facilitated by the State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP), under the World Bank-assisted programme at Improving Traditional Apprenticeship System.

Prof. Arigbabu said the government had engaged the heads of trade associations to reach their members, so as to empower and train them on how to use modern technology to improve their skills as it relates to their various vocations.

"Ogun State government is keen towards improving and developing the capacity building of our artisans. That is why we have organised this programme, for us to train them on how to handle modern technology as it relates to their various vocations and thereby make them relevant in their choice of skills", he said.

In his keynote address, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Olufemi Bamiro, pointed out that there was need for coordination, standardisation, regulation and competency to ensure human capital development, as it would stabilise the economy of the State and country at large.

Giving the overview of OGSTEP, the Project Coordinator, Engr. Oluwatoyin Jokosenumi, revealed that the World Bank is partnering with the government to revive its economy through Agriculture, providing an enabling business environment, skills development and capacity building, as well as vocational education programmes.

Presenting a paper titled, ‘Improving the Traditional Apprenticeship System’, a Skill Development Specialist, Mr. Adesegun Fatoki, highlighted the importance of adding value to the knowledge of half-baked artisans, saying the initiative would proffer solution to the scarcity of willing apprentices, expatriates taking over artisans’ jobs in the country and Gender-Based issues.

Fatoki said artisans should be technologically inclined, noting that the World is revolving through the use of technology.

          In their remarks, some of the participants at the meeting, Mr. Mukaila Sodamola, and Mrs. Temitope Olanre-Alade said the government should establish a database platform to identify challenges facing traditional artisans and help propagate the importance of the training to others.