The Polytechnic Ibadan and The Fola Akinosun Foundation have gone into a partnership with the aim of reducing the rate of unemployment among youths.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed at the weekend by the management of the institution and the founder of the foundation, Dr Fola Akinosun, when the management of the polytechnic paid a ‘thank you’ visit to Akinosun.
Speaking on the MoU, Dr Akinosun said the partnership is a tripartite arrangement between the polytechnic, teachers from Oyo State Teachers’ Commission and himself, with the aim of reinventing the youths through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.
He said: “Past administrations, especially those in the South-West, had made free education one of their cardinal programmes. But it is unfortunate that after giving children at the primary school level free education, they are less concerned about what becomes of these children after primary school.
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“This is where I want to come in. I am targeting dropouts and those who could not further their education after secondary school level, either because of financial constraint or inability to pass Senior School Certificate Examinations.
“The aim is to reinvent them through training at the polytechnic to make them self-reliant and responsible citizens. After training, they would be given certificates and the enabling environment to ply their trades.
“For instance, those who trained in automobile would be taught how to use modern techniques like using the computer to diagnose faults rather than the trial and error method or the manual way.
“After graduation, they will be opportune to work in a workshop where jobs will be referred to them. With this arrangement, there will be jobs for them every time, unlike the situation now where skilled labourers hardly get jobs to do.
“Those who are academically inclined and who still want to further their studies will also be absorbed and offered the opportunity of study on scholarship at the College of Education, Moro, Ile-Ife, while the school certificate failures will be able retake their examinations in the college.”
Also speaking on the partnership, a member of the polytechnic management team, and the managing director of Poly Ventures, Dr Kola Lawal, observed that the partnership is service to God, as students would no longer commit suicide because even if they fail, they still have the option of going to a higher institution and getting a certificate.
In his remarks, the rector, Ife Business School, Dr Ademakinwa Adereti, also commended the partnership because, according to him, it will bring out the creativity in youths and address the problem of unemployment in the country.
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