UNILORIN, Lancaster varsity to train 680 STEM staff, students for ASPP
The University of Ilorin, in collaboration with Lancaster University, United Kingdom, will be training 80 staff members and 600 STEM-based students as part of the African Strategic Partnership programme(ASPP).
Speaking with UNILORIN BULLETIN last Tuesday (March 12, 2024), the Director of the African Strategic Partnership, Lancaster University, Dr Akanimo Odon, who disclosed that the programme is fixed for April 1, 2024, explained that the project is a specific briefing for staff and students of the University on back up of sustainable career and entrepreneurship for Nigerian universit
Dr Odom explained that both programmes are for STEM-based staff and students with a small gap for Non-STEM participants who proved worthy of the programme. He said that the project is funded by the Foreign Common Wealth Development in the United Kingdom through rolling out a pilot across Nigerian universities where staff and students are nominated and appointed within two months and exposed to the fundamental principles of practical preparation.
Dr Odom, who was in the University to perfect the arrangement, noted that the programme is not entrepreneurship on the students’ portfolio but helping them develop an entrepreneurship mindset.
He maintained that because the programme is a pilot one, the impact is determined through the use of parameters thereby running concurrently with the theme for staff as “Stimulating Sustainable Entrepreneurial Thinking in Scientific Sets”, at the same time, that of the students is “International Career Coaching Program (ICCP)”.
Speaking on the figures to be onboarded for the programme, Dr Odon noted that the onboarding phase has started in the last two months on different platforms through briefing, engaging and interacting with participants about the programme.
On the gains, he noted that there is a massive gap between academia, research and industry and this cuts across all universities either federal, state or privately owned.
Dr Odom disclosed that one of the benefits of the programme is to practicalise the sizes and learning based on a robust framework, thereby impacting staff on capacity for them to be entrepreneural in their mindset, allowing them to communicate beyond their research papers to industries, among others.
He said that the students will expose the beneficiaries to career dimensions and routes, understanding their strengths and weaknesses and how they can improve on their mindsets thereby aligning their knowledge to market demands and how to solve problems in their immediate environment.
He noted that the programme is designed to be learning by doing things and at the end of the two months, participants will be amazed at their growth and achievements.
Speaking on the programme, the Director of the Technical and Entrepreneurship Centre (TEC), Prof. Raheem Adebimpe Usman, applauded the initiative and commended the rare opportunity given to the University as representative of the North Central zone for the programme.
Prof. Usman noted that a critical gap exists between academia and social marketing, stating that letting people know what you are doing is the beginning of success.
“The programme will let people know what we do in the University, which will also increase the income generated by the University”, he said.
He noted that the programme will also allow the University to leverage the student population including the undergraduates and postgraduates on how they can learn not only research but how to market themselves.
The Director, however, appreciated the University management for accepting the invitation to be a part of the programme and pleaded for continued support to make the programme a successful one.