Renowned historian, Prof. Toyin Falola of the University of Texas at Austin, USA, has called for certification of technical skill programmes in universities.
Speaking during a visit to the Glorious Vision University, Lagos Campus, Ketu, Falola emphasised that universities should be interested in certification of the informal economy even as they invested in technology, engineering, and science courses.
Two constituencies, the academic world by Falola and the business provisional side by a travel technology company Sabre West Africa Airline Management Company visited the institution.
He said, “Universities should also be interested in Visual Arts, they should encourage certification in the area of the informal economy. Certification in TV, Radio repairs, certification in fashion design textile, certification in a host of manufacturing jobs.
“Glorious Vision University located in Edo State, in order to expand, provide more opportunities for young Nigerians, and elevate the name of the university, decided to have a Lagos campus and we are here to visit this campus that will shortly be admitting its first set of students.
“It is a fusion of two ideas, the Academic World and the Business Technical World. And as we fused these two together, they will be providing multiple opportunities to young men and women who are interested in Engineering, Technology, Computer Science and others.”
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor, Glorious Vision University, Prof. Babatunde Idowu, said, “One of the things we are noted for is that our graduates are competent to start on their own because we infused into our curriculum entrepreneurship, information technology, we always boast about this that we give our students three certificates when they are graduating. “One in the course of study, the second one in entrepreneurship, and the third one in Information Technology. Those who will come in here are unique students. They will be fully developed to also discover their potential. We train them to be masters of what they are doing.”
He added that the institution offered an executive Master in Business Administration programme in partnership with Sabre West Africa Airline Management Company.
