The Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board recently graduated 239 members of the Lagos State Association of Plumbing Contractors after four months intensive training in different aspects of their trade. The training programme covered all aspects of plumbing including: water, technology, Information and Communications Technology, use of modern equipment, entrepreneurship, functional communication and numeracy, health and safety.On the need for would-be artisans to consider plumbing as a trade, the Deputy Governor, Lagos state, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, says the demand for artisans in the trade is on the increase, and the current number of skilled plumbers in the state cannot meet demand.She urges trainees to continue to seek new ways of achieving better results in the trade, stressing that there is the need for them to ensure that their integrity is intact and standards are not compromised in the course of job delivery. This, according to her, remains the most reliable way to succeed in the business and transforming informal business sector."Do your best to protect your integrity and your good name. Be a professional. Do not buy substandard product to work with. The consequences of that will be more than whatever the financial gains are," she urges. She says plumbers should endeavour to form a trade association and collectively pursue projects, saying that projects should not be taken by members if they know there will not be enough time to implement them, of which disappointing people remains the easiest way of staying out of business. The Deputy Governor maintains, "Be time conscious because time is money. Have timeframes to execute jobs. "Do cultivate money-saving attitude so that you can retrain yourself and buy equipment. Do not eat up into your capital or money meant to be use for a project. In cases, where you may have challenges, the state can help by aiding your access to micro funds." The Chairman, LASTVEB, Mrs. T.A. Oyemade, says the state is prescribing standard skills to be attained by plumbers, and will continue to review such standards as may be necessitated by current trends and the peculiar needs of the state. This, she notes, remains the reason why existing plumbers should work towards capacity development. She says to actualise the mandate of the government, there is the commitment to providing high quality world-class technical skills to a large pool of artisans in the informal sector who forms 60 per cent of the skilled workforce in the state. According to the Executive Secretary, LASTVEB, Mr. Olawunmi Gasper , one area in which Nigeria is currently rated as having a great lack is the supply of capable and efficient artisanal craftsmen. For years, the country has been depending on neighbouring countries, especially in the West African region, to source the required artisans and craftsmen, especially in the built industry. The role of artisans, craftsmen and skilled workforce in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy cannot be overemphasised. Gasper says the trend in the system has changed as states are now charged, among others things, with the responsibility of prescribing standard skills to be attained and continue to review such standards as may be necessitated by current technological trends and peculiar needs of citizens. He says on its own part, LASTVEB is providing quality world class technical skills to a large pool of artisans. Gasper says, "For better approach to the responsibilities, the following questions are raised: What is the standard of the tradesmen and artisans now' What level of standards do we want them to have' How do we take them there' On getting there, how do we sustain the level with respect to technological changes'" To further create more opportunities and produce high quality and competent artisans, he says the board has started working in collaboration with a number of public and private organisations, both in Nigeria and overseas. Giving instances, he says the Lagos State Association of Plumbing Contractorsa trade association in the installation of plumbing and pipe fittings, is currently partnering with LASTVEB as a capacity building provider for training and retraining of practitioners in the plumbing practice. Also, the Department for International Development and Lagos State are currently developing strategies targeted at producing occupational standards and skills for practitioners in the construction industry. This is aimed at ensuring and sustaining capacity building and development for tradesmen and artisans in the state. In implementing these projects, different stakeholders are involved, which comprises the government, the various relevant industries, training providers and the trade associations. The ultimate goal of the various collaborations, according to Gasper, is to produce occupational standards and skills acceptable worldwide for practitioners in the various trades. He notes that belonging to the right association will also help, as the state can identify with the group and further make the operating environment more conducive for its members. Lagos, he says, for instance, recently embarked on a training programme for 270 plumbers in the state through LASTVEB. The LASTVEB secretary-general adds, "A component of the training focuses on new technology in plumbing practice, beyond that there are key components including, but not limited to the following: safety precautions/regulation and standards; maintenance culture and trouble-shooting; detail finishing, installation and plumbing code." He says, "Introduction to AutoCAD; entrepreneurship, customer service, functional numeracy and functional communication; code of ethics and practice; and tools, equipment, pipes and pumps."
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