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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Veritas University launches N1.3 billion hub to boost tech, entrepreneurship skills

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Veritas University Abuja launched a N1.3 billion Skills and Innovation Hub to combat graduate unemployment and skills gaps.
  • The hub will offer hands-on training in technology, entrepreneurship, and creative arts, aiming to produce job creators.
  • The university partnered with Cisco and Microsoft to provide students with internationally recognized certifications.

Veritas University Abuja is investing N1.3 billion in a new Skills and Innovation Hub to address Nigeria's rising graduate unemployment and skills gap. The facility, slated for completion by January, aims to equip students with practical competencies beyond traditional academic degrees.

This is a massive project for us because it is supposed to be the melting pot for all manner of skills in the university. The structure will cost us N1.3 billion. Work has already started, and the contractor is expected to deliver it by the end of January.

— Prof. Hyacinth IchokuSpeaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Skills and Innovation Hub.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Hyacinth Ichoku stated the hub will be a central platform for practical learning, fostering innovation and problem-solving. "This is a massive project for us because it is supposed to be the melting pot for all manner of skills in the university," he said during the groundbreaking ceremony, led by Cardinal John Onaiyekan. "The structure will cost us N1.3 billion. Work has already started, and the contractor is expected to deliver it by the end of January."

The university emphasizes that academic qualifications alone are insufficient in today's labor market. "Skill is the key thing today. If you are a student today and you do not have a skill beyond your certificate, you are going to be in real serious trouble," Ichoku warned. He added that students will be encouraged to work intensively to develop solutions for real-life problems.

Skill is the key thing today. If you are a student today and you do not have a skill beyond your certificate, you are going to be in real serious trouble.

— Prof. Hyacinth IchokuExplaining the necessity of practical skills for graduates in the current job market.

Veritas University has also partnered with global tech giants like Cisco and Microsoft. This collaboration will ensure students graduate with internationally recognized professional certifications alongside their degrees, further enhancing their employability. The hub is intended to institutionalize these existing training programs.

In technology, for example, we provide Cisco and Microsoft training, and every student who passes through Veritas will be certified by Cisco and Microsoft. This building is meant to institutionalise what we are already doing.

— Prof. Hyacinth IchokuDetailing the university's partnerships and the role of the new hub in formalizing training.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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