The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has conferred 58 practicing engineers working across various sectors in Nigeria with the fellowship of the society in Abuja.
Speaking at the 20th edition of the conferment, the President of the NSE, Tasiu Gidari-Wudil, noted that the beneficiaries had displayed distinction in the discharge of their duties and were therefore deserving of the honour.
He stressed that the beneficiaries of the awards had been considered worthy of the elevation having successfully gone through a thorough process of scrutiny conducted by the “eminent men and women” that make up the board of fellows of the society.
Describing the process as, “truly thorough and painstaking,” he explained that the board had been beaming its searchlight on their professional development, through learning, practice and character.
“Upon your conferment as fellows, you will become members of the NSE College of Fellows, a privilege that signals the commencement of another journey of bearing responsibilities on behalf of the society.
“They include the responsibility of carrying yourself with the dignity that the fellowship status bestows; responsibility of doubling your efforts at participating in NSE activities and making contributions to the growth of the society, as well as the responsibility of being NSE ambassadors by delivering value services to the development of our beloved nation all your endeavours.
“Importantly too, you must know that you have also acquired the responsibility of being role models to younger engineers, and to those who need inspiration to join the engineering profession,” the president told the honourees.
In a lecture tagged: “Employment-oriented Skills Development in Africa: Reality, Relevance and Research as Enablers,” a World Bank Consultant, Dr. George Afeti described unemployment as a cancer eating into the fabrics of African societies.
He called for the development of a more responsive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, to equip young people with employment-oriented skills for the world of work.
Afeti emphasised that for employment-oriented skills development in Africa to be effective, they should be rooted in the reality of the African situation, and should be driven by labour market relevance and research evidence.
The challenge of youth unemployment, he affirmed, cannot be eased without the acquisition of relevant occupational and digital skills.
“However, it must be noted that the cankerworm of unemployment is a complex phenomenon and tackling the problem will involve the implementation of multi-pronged initiatives,” he added.
On this, he said the initiatives must include government fiscal policies that promote the creation and expansion of enterprises and increase the capacity of the economy to generate jobs.
“The bottom line, however, is that without work-related skills, unemployed youth cannot enter the labour market.
“Unemployment breeds poverty, inequality, frustration, loss of self-esteem, anger, sometimes mental illness, crime, and eventually social disruptions,” he said.
Source: Thisday
