C- STEMP, NIOB and CORBON to Train 200,000 Artisans in 2016
A total of 200,000 artisans will be trained, assessed and certified this year through the Construction skills Training and Empowerment Programme (C-STEMP) of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) in collaboration with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON).
President of NIOB, Mr. Tijjani Shuaib made this known at the inauguration of the Construction Skills Training and Empowerment Programme (C-STEMP), recently in Abuja.
Shuaib said the project would also train up to two million artisans in the next five years and that it was aimed at developing a pool of well-trained and qualified manpower for the housing and construction industry.
He said the project would reduce unemployment, poverty, and block the influx of foreign construction workers into Nigeria, as stated by President Muhammadu Buhari, recently. He recalled that the President had pledged that the present administration would move quickly to address the shortage of skilled construction workers in the country.
“The NIOB is ready to commence training, assessment and certification of the Building Craftsmen and Artisans in collaboration with CORBON and the DFID sponsored C-STEmp.
“We have developed and validated National Occupational Standards for the key building construction trades, Masonry, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrical installation, Painting and Decoration among others.”
He said a good number of Assessors and Verifiers were also being trained with the assistance of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and that the training of master trainers would start immediately.
He said the skill gap in the Nigerian construction sector and poor quality project delivery has become a trend in the country and that it was of great concern to NIOB and CORBON. He said the need to relieve the project sites of unskilled, inefficient and dissatisfied workers engaged in building trades was their reason for partnering with the NBTE.
Shuaib said the partnership could be galvanised through the National Vocational Qualifications Framework (NVQF) programme.
“In order to achieve this, the NBTE, which is the regulatory body for the delivery of National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) in Nigeria, on Nov. 4, 2014, gave an approval to the NIOB to operate as NVQ Awarding Body.
“They also approve assessment centres for NVQs, implement and ensure quality of NVQs.”
Also, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing reiterated the Federal Government’s promise to act promptly to address shortage of skilled Nigerian artisans.
Fashola recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari recently decried the influx of foreign building trade workers in the country. He said the training would be of benefit to the ministry since it already has vocational training centres for artisans and craftsmen in Yaba and Onikan in Lagos state and Ikeduru in Imo state.
He commended the skills empowerment project and urged that the training should be focused on achieving its intended purpose in order to supply skilled manpower in the housing and construction industry. The Project Director of C-Stemp, Mr. Anthony Okwa called on Federal, State and Local Government in Nigeria to partner with CStemp in Training Artisans and creating employment for youths all over the country.
Managing Director of Fesadeb Communications Ltd and President, Abuja Housing Annual Show, Mr. Festus Adebayo called for a strong partnership with the media to ensure housing development.
Adebayo, a Housing Expert said that the project was a new dawn for artisans in Nigeria, adding that it would absorb many unemployed Nigerians.
He, however, commended the office of the Vice President for considering it necessary to absorb many unemployed Nigerians through the job creation and employment generation programme.
The inauguration has its theme as ‘Skills Development for Employment Generation: Enhancing Quality and Productivity in the Construction Industry’.
C-STEmp, an initiative of J.Hausen Ltd, a construction management consultancy firm is an accelerated skills development project to prepare eligible beneficiaries for employment as Artisans in construction industry.
The project has support from UKaid under the construction idea fund of the Growth and Employment in States (GEMs) project. There is also collaboration with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).