Globalization, technologies make engineering faculties meet requirements of local, int’l job market -COREN President

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The President, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Engr. Ali Rabiu,yesterday said  globalization and technologies has made engineering faculties to meet  with requirements of local  and international job market.

Rabiu made the assertion at the opening ceremony of a 4-day Train-the-Trainers’ Workshop on its Outcome Based Engineering Education (OBEE) programme organized by COREN for delegates from the Faculty of Engineering of Nigerian Universities in the North-Central zone of the country.

.At the programme held at the University of Abuja, he said COREN needs to mediate in regulating the process that leads to local and international recognition of engineering qualifications from higher educational institutions in Nigeria.

“Such recognition is expected to improve the quality, proficiency and mobility to COREN registered engineers”.

He said the next stage in implementing the Council’s resolution as regards to OBE “is to ensured that critical knowledgeable and experienced persons are in OBE as well as mentees of OBE learning environment who are to pioneer and champion the capacity development of the various strata of Engineering Professionals involved in training, practicing and regulating in Nigeria (now referred to as University based OBE implementors),” and that was the rationale behind orgainsing the workshop

He explained that Outcome-Based Education (OBE), helps to empower a workforce that  can compete in a global economy of the 21st century.

“It also equips  learners to academic success to live in a complex, challenging and high technology future .

Similarly, the COREN Register/CEO, Engr. Prof Joseph Odigure, said COREN was trying to bring stakeholders from the top to the bottom of the engineering profession in Nigeria, including the small-scale artisans, on board in the impartation of knowledge under the OBE programme, a norm, he said, was neglected over the years to the detriment of standard engineering practice in the country.

In a brief vote of thanks, the Dean, College of Engineering, Joseph Tarka University, Makurdi, Prof. J. A. Enokela, thanked COREN and all those involved in making the workshop a reality, adding that the training was one of the best things that would happen in the quest to revolutionalise engineering profession in the country.