From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Artificial Intelligence for Clean Energy (AI4CE) has concluded arrangements to train 50 students drawn from the Federal University of Technology (FUT), Minna, and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, on an industry immersion programme, which represents a major component of the Research Group’s coined Acadoprenuership concept.
Media Consultant, AI4CE & AEIRG, Stanley Ugboaja, in a statement explained that AI4CE is a flagship project won by the Advanced Engineering Innovation Research Group (AEIRG) with funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom.
He said the month-long orientation exercise was aimed at equipping the students with pre-requisite knowledge and skills needed in the 21st century, and acquaint them with the industry’s demand before embarking on the six-month’ mandatory industrial attachment scheme.
The Team Leader, AI4CE, Prof Abiodun Musa Aibinu, explained that the one-month training was to prepare the students on what is expected of them in the industry, in terms of office ethics, use of equipment and communication skills.
He said the month-long training was divided into four modules namely; general knowledge, basic technical skills, soft skills development and knowledge development, with speakers drawn from different fields.
Some of the key papers to be presented at the training are Acadoprenuership: Championing the Realisation of Industry-Fitted Graduates in Nigeria to be delivered by Prof Abiodun Musa Aibinu; the 4th Industrial Revolution to be delivered by Dr. Caroline Alenoghena; Effective Communication and Presentation Skills by Sadiat Adetoro Salau, while Engr. Jibril Bala will speak on Industry 4.0: Contemporary Trends and Prospective Applications.
Others are: Connecting to the World of Clean Energy and its Prospects to be delivered by Dr. Lanre Olatomiwa, while Engr. Abimbola Ajagun’s paper will focus on Module 2: Certification Course on Clean Energy, among others.
‘The students are going to the industry as ambassadors and there’s need for them to project the good image of their institutions,’ he said.
Prof Aibinu disclosed that 30 students have been shortlisted for the first phase of the training while the remaining 20 students would participate in the second phase of the training
He said the training would involve sessions on how to use hi-tech tools to carry out assigned duties during the IT programme, even as he revealed that equipment worth millions of naira have been procured to aid the training process.
Aibinu further confirmed that academic and industry experts would also be on ground to share their wealth of experience with the students during the training.
He was optimistic that the training would bridge the gap between the industry and the academia, create jobs, improve the workforce, provide industry-ready graduates, increase Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for universities and more revenue for government through taxation.
Equally important, Prof Aibinu stated, collaboration with the industries has yielded lots of benefit to the research group in terms of availability of funds for research, as well as commercialisation of research prototypes.
He also stated that the Research Group recently won a seed grant from Innovative Advantage Limited, Lagos, to solve the company’s research problems, with option for commercialization of the research prototype when completed.