A Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies, Toyin Omoyeni Falola has said in many advanced countries in the world, skills like photography, fashion designing, shoemaking, graphic design and printing, among others, are already being taught as vocationally oriented degree courses.
Falola stated this while delivering a lecture titled ‘Nigerian Universities and Youth Empowerment’ at the 7th Convocation lecture of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAU), Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State.
He maintained that it is a viable way of exploring alternative degree formats, adding that it is a good idea if replicated in Nigerian Universities.
Falola who is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas, Austin, explained that graduates cannot only become gainfully self-employed through skills, but can also become employers of labour.
According to him, an updated and strategically laid out curricular, proper and appropriate choice of faculty members, mentoring, adoption of digital technology into teaching and research and introduction of entrepreneurial skills/vocational courses are measures preparing graduates for the workplace.
The institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, while speaking, said no fewer than 50 Students graduated with first class honours.
Ajibefun added that the school graduated two sets of students from (2014/2015 and 2015/2016) academic session.
“Of the 7,624 that earned a first degree in the 2014/2015 session, 29 graduated with first-class honours; 1,316 bagged degrees in the second-class upper division; 5,183 earned degrees in the second-class lower division; 1,027 had third-class honours, and 69 got a pass.
“Of the 2,026 that graduated in the 2015/2016 session, 21 earned first-class degrees; 609 graduated in the second-class upper division; 1,151 bagged degrees in the second-class lower division; 239 got third-class degrees, and six had a pass”.
The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, in his remarks urged the management of the institution to ensure students graduate with vocational skills, to make them self-reliant after graduating.
What are Vocational Courses?
Vocational training courses are specific classes offered to learners to train for a particular job or career. These courses are offered to people working in various career fields to improve their skills.
Vocational training is available in trade schools, career colleges as well as community courses. The institutions offering the courses may be government owned or privately run.
Although there are numerous vocational courses in the market, some of them are more popular than others. The demand for these courses is determined by the market.
Nigeria has a large population of people with vocational skills in Fashion Designing, Make-up, Electrician, Carpenter, Tilers, among others. Some of these skills are learnt under some courses or Departments in the University, but very rare.
For instance, in the Department of Fine and applied Arts in some Universities, skills like tie and dye, waxing of clothes, knitting, painting, and drawing among others is learnt.
However, a degree is given as Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (BAFA), and not limited to the vocational skill learnt.
