The National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN), says the Agence Française de Development (AFD), and the European Union (EU), have pledged to expend $46 million to fund vocational skills in the power sector.
The Director-General of NAPTIN, Ahmed Nagode, said this yesterday in Abuja at a workshop on “Enhancing Vocational Training Delivery for the Nigerian Power Sector.”
Nagode, represented by the Director, Legal NAPTIN, and Head, Implementation Unit (PIU) of the project, Kunle Oyenusi, said the workshop themed, “Meeting the Training Needs of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry,” would enhance capacity building in the power industry.
He said a financing plan aggregate of $46 million funded by AFD and the EU would be solely invested in NAPTIN to enhance vocational skills training in Nigeria’s power sector.
He informed that the project has three major components – Product Development, Infrastructural Development and Corporate Development, and upon completion would reposition NAPTIN as a centre of excellence.
The project is also meant to serve the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI); West Africa Power Pool (WAPP); ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE); and Association of Power Utilities of Africa (APUA).
To support the generation, transmission and distribution companies there is the need to ensure that human capacity is given the right attention.
The project has the following specific objectives:
- To develop trainings curricula adapted to the market needs and specialise the trainers;
- To reinforce NAPTIN’s attractiveness by building new technical infrastructure laboratories, workshops and acquiring relevant technical equipment for the network of the regional training centres and headquarters in Abuja;
- To sustain public investment by setting up a sustainable business model and to reform NAPTIN’s governance, procedures and policies to a more business-oriented institution.
Nagode said the workshop is under the first component, the product development. “The main purpose of this workshop is to bring stakeholders together at a round table to talk about their training needs so that NAPTIN can position its training products through infrastructure to deliver quality training that the sector needs.”
He added that the result of the interaction with stakeholders would be transmitted into the development of the training component.
According to him, to support the generation, transmission and distribution companies there is the need to ensure that human capacity is given the right attention.
“I thank the AFD and EU for providing the support on which the project rests. I assure you that NAPTIN will ensure that the training content and courses developed suit the current and future needs of NESI,” he said.
On his part, Team Lead Component 1 for the project, Joseph Vennel, said there were a lot of workmen in the sector that were unskilled.
Vennel, who worked with an Indian company, Feedback Intra, and consultant to NAPTIN said such workmen require skills to work effectively.
“There is the need for stakeholders in the power sector to enhance their human capacity skills for workmen to deliver quality service as customers want regular electricity at all times,” he said. (NAN)
