The Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) intends to close the skills gap in the construction sector and lessen reliance on local craftspeople, particularly in the area of engineering.
In order to develop an online application that would aid in identifying new abilities and creating new knowledge in innovations to be used in the built environment, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is collaborating with FOCI.
Nasiru Dantata, president of FOCI, stated that the federation wants to develop skilled artisans in the construction industry at the UNESCO Technical and Vocational Education for the Construction Industry training, which was held in Abuja in collaboration with Bridging Innovation and Learning in Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and FOCI Skills Academy (FSA).
According to Dantata, the Bridging Innovation and Learning in TVET (BILT) project is essential in identifying the skills and knowledge that should be included into curricula and put into practice using cutting-edge methods.
The relationship FOCI has with international organizations to help our efforts to train qualified Nigerians who we can engage with in our business is the topic of today’s discussion, he said.
“FOCI has collaborated with significant stakeholders in producing appropriate courses that are pertinent to the goals and objectives of the academy over the years. We want to train Nigerians who can work anywhere in the globe, going beyond training for our business.
“FSA was registered in 2019 as a Dual Vocational Training (DVT) training provider in three construction trades” (Masonry, Carpentry and Plumbing). The training was created to be of an international caliber and in accordance with the Nigerian framework for skills certification.
In order to maintain present procedures and find areas of strength and opportunity in fulfilling the academy’s goals, he continued, “We remain committed to strengthening relationship with UNESCO.”
Dantata noted that the COVID-19 outbreak had a detrimental influence on the sector over the previous five years, but she emphasized that thanks to help from the federal, state, and private sectors as well as the private sector, the construction sector has recovered and is now busy.
In addition, Olubunmi Adekole, the director general of FOCI, highlighted why FOCI Academy was one of the eight organizations chosen by UNESCO for the BILT program.
According to Adekole, the program’s goal is to ensure innovation in the workplace and academic setting.
“Our workforce are getting older, and we had to look outside our boundaries for skilled artisans, so we decided to establish the academy. We believed that many young Nigerians might perform better with proper training.
The UNESCO Project Manager, Mr. Wilson Lima Junior, stated in his presentation that technology is displacing people throughout the economy and will continue to do so.
He described the UNESCO initiative as an online tool that enables organizations to evaluate their performance and hire personnel who have the necessary skills and certifications.
