PTI graduates 1,086 technologists, technicians

No fewer than 1, 086 students are graduating as technologists and technicians on Saturday from the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State.

The graduands will be awarded Higher National Diploma (HND), National Diploma (ND) and PTI General Certificates.

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Principal/Chief Executive of PTI, Professor Sunny Iyuke, made the disclosure on Tuesday during a press briefing held at the Council Chambers as part of the 2018 PTI Graduation Ceremony climaxing on Saturday.

Breaking down the grades of the graduating students, he said 53 of the well-baked students bagged Distinction and 356, Upper Credit.

The PTI Principal/Chief Executive further disclosed that since inception, the institution has churned out over 46, 000 technologists and technicians in various disciplines who are, today, providing services for the oil and gas sector.

According to Prof Iyuke, the “institution is developing hands-on training so that its graduates can fit into the operations of the industry with little or on-the-job training.”

He noted that in order to fulfill the aim of the Federal Government’s Content Policy, the institution has keyed into the President Muhammadu Buhari Change Agenda by shifting its focus from local certification to international certification and training bodies.

The paradigm shift, he maintained, will help to incubate “fit-for-purpose world-class indigenous technical manpower to drive the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry in line with the global best practice.”

Iyuke hinted that Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, will be awarded with the PTI Life Recognition Award, for his priceless contributions to the development of the institute and the oil and gas sector.

On successes recently recorded at the institution, Prof Iyuke said PTI has collaborated with University of Port Harcourt to run post HND programmes in all fields of Engineering which will lead to the award of Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng.).

Graduates from this arrangement, the Don further quipped, will exert advantage over university graduates because of their training in both practical and theories.

In addition, the PTI boss said that in conjunction with UNIPORT, the institution has commenced Master programmes in Information and Technology (ICT), while it has mounted Computer Science and Information Technology of National Diploma (ND) programmes.

“It is interesting to point out that our programmes are fully accredited by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE),” he affirmed.

Professor Iyuke further disclosed to journalists that projects completed or ongoing at the institute in the last one year included, 300-seater Lecture Theatre, renovation of academic block and the abandoned Swimming pool, construction of a standard swimming pool at Aladja and 200 metres road, among others.

Meanwhile, Principal/Chief Executive of PTI, Prof Sunny Iyuke, will be delivering the PTI Graduation Lecture entitled: “Digital Edication: The DiPTI Experiment in Focus.

The lecturer affirmed that the drive for Digital PTI would provide an environment that would attract students and a broad spectrum of Nigerians and the entire globe in digital technology.