Four universities in Nigeria have been selected to establish department Welding Engineering in 2016 according to Chief Solomon Edebiri, President, Nigeria Institute of Welding (NIS).
The institutions as University of Benin, Benin City, Edo state; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta state; Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger state; and Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Bauchi state.
The decision followed the intervention of the Petroleum Development Fund (PTDF) welding capacity development and the recent concluded institutional welding and fabrication capacity audit for universities.
Edebiri said in Benin City during the flag-off ceremony of Advanced and Specialised Welding Local Course that staff of the NIW had commenced the process of working with staff of the affected higher institution to draw up curriculum for the departments.
He noted that the availability of competency in welding, inspection, fitting and machining and welding engineering complete the quality loop in welding construction, fabrication and manufacturing.
The NIW president said the 19 beneficiaries of the course programme held in Istanbul, Turkey will henceforth enhance Nigeria's quest to fully domesticate welding and fabrication activities in the country.
According to him, "PTDF-NIW collaboration is about to give Nigeria this wonderful gift that will help in the realization of technological independence, export based country and we cannot stop but continue to thank PTDF and its management for this patriotic efforts, and it is my hope that as soon as these candidates conclude their programme, the industry will be ready for them".
Flagging off the ceremony, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund, Mr. Demi Ajayi the Welders Training and Certification programme is one of the cardinal programmed of the fund which was development several years ago to fill the welding and fabrication gaps in the petroleum industry based on the needs and requirements of ongoing planned projects that has since produced over 1,200 indigenous technicians, welding specialists and engineers in plate, fillet and pipe welding.
The pointed out that the new challenge for Nigerian Welders and fabricators in the industry has been the need to attain higher levels of welding competency in more than one welding process.
To address this challenge therefore, Ajayi said the PTDF had to develop the The-the-Trainer Advanced Specialised Welding Course, where 19 trainers that performed exceptionally well in the previous welding courses from both trains I & II of the WTCP participated in a programme in Turkey to acquire higher-end welding skills.
"In PTDF, we have chosen not to believe in the saying that 'there are too many people without jobs, but rather there are too many jobs without people'".
On behalf of the beneficiaries of the course, Atoju Ejafa described their journey to Turkey as a product of great minds saw the need to fill the welding vacuum by and had to sponsor them to acquire skills in advanced welding.
"This trip has opened our eyes to a new method, a new way of teaching and a new way of life which bonded us together as one body. On behalf of my colleagues, I say a very big thank you to PTDF to whom we owe this great gratitude of believing in us and making us a beneficiary of this advanced welding processes. to NIW for its relentless effort".
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