COREN to tackle influx of foreign artisans

TCouncil for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria ( COREN) has listed some practical measures to address the challenges of the influx of foreign artisans into the country. Noting that the body is being restructured and reformed to ensure effective enforcement and compliance with relevant regulations, it said the council was prepared to prompt the application of sanctions and penalties to erring engineering Nigerian professionals and expatriates alike. COREN President, Prof Sadiq Abubakar, stated this in a message sent to The Guardian on what the council is doing to mitigate the influx of foreign artisans in the country. He said there was a need for the provision of appropriate and adequate facilities, as well as qualified and highly motivated teachers and instructors for training and coaching of technical, and vocational skills and proficiencies in technical colleges and vocational training centres.

Abubakar called for the introduction of OutcomeBased Education ( OBE) right from technical colleges, monotechics and polytechnics.

This, he said, would ensure hands- on delivery to impact specific skills and proficiencies/ competencies of the graduates.

The COREN boss said there is a need to ensure that a strong, quality and transparent assessment framework is in place and that effective synergy between COREN, the National Board for Technical Education ( NBTE) and the other sectoral Ministries Departments and Agencies ( MDAS). Abubakar urged that the Ministry of Interior work closely with COREN to improve the process of application, screening and approval of expatriate quota by foreign companies as well as allow COREN and Nigerian Immigration Services to enforce residence and work permits for expatriates allowed to partake in Nigeria's labour market. He said there is a need for sincere and sustainable support to the regulatory bodies in Nigeria to uphold the global standards of the International Engineering Alliance ( IEA) through joining "Washington Accord, Sydney Accord and Dublin Accord for the engineers, technologists/ technicians and craftsmen/ artisans, respectively."

He said the NFP and ICPC should facilitate for COREN the enforcement of Executive Order 5 already into law in seeing that expatriates are understudied by qualified Nigerian engineering professionals covering all cadres,

"NFP and ICPC to facilitate in investigating engineering failures and prosecute unqualified persons including expatriates, who failed to register with COREN to enable them to practice engineering procedures. "To ensure the radar of all regulatory bodies is active and applied in a coordinated manner to curb the excesses, violations and circumventing by expatriate professionals and their firms," he said.