Nestle Nigerian Plc has commissioned a N3billion budget technical training centre in Nigeria even as it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)with Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria on the provision of scholarships for five students in the centre and further trainings of five best graduates of the centre in Switzerland.Speaking at the ceremony held at the Agbara factory complex of the beverages producing company, the managing director, Mr. Martin Woolnough, said the facility would provide training opportunities that would enhance the technical skills and competences of the factory's operatives'The new facility we are opening today will also serve as an avenue to train and retrain our factory operatives to enhance their technical skills and competences to enable them become more polyvalent in their skills.' He said.He added that the centre offers an eighteen month multi skill programme in Electronic-Mechanical-Automation and Instrumentation Engineering leading to the equivalence of the London City and Guild Technical Certificate.Woolnough, who said over 1000 applicants applied for the programme added that the lucky ones who finally scaled the selection hurdles would be exposed to the best available teachings and trainings in technical education available any where in the world.In his address at the occasion, Director General of National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Umar Bindir who was also a special guest at the occasion , said the establishment of the training centre is in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan of ensuring the acceleration of Nigeria's drive towards a rapid technological revolution and development of indigenous technological capability.Bindir who argued that the level of development of any nation is measured in terms of its level and stage of industrial production, commerce, health care and social services, called for the need to sow viable science and technology seeds through the establishment of the modern technical training centre as exemplified by Nestl Plc.He said the initiative is the type expected of the private sector towards the realization of what he called the Agenda 1777 of NOTAP.The agenda 1777, according to him, means that Nigeria as an indivisible country would in the next seven years should be able to establish Seven multinational companies and give the world seven products they would depend on. He said this is realizable with the type of training programme Nestle has put in place with the establishment of the technical training centre when many young Nigerians would be trained.The Technical Training Centre will offer an effective multi-skill, 18 months training program in Electro-Mechanical-Automation and Instrumentation Engineering. The course module consists of 8 months theory and practical based on the course outline of the City and Guilds of London Technicians Examinations Certificate infused with elements of Nestl's operations. The program is tailored along the syllabus of the City and Guilds of London Technicians Examinations Certificates which comes in three levels. Therefore the students will be groomed to take each level of the exam every 6 months. In his address at the occasion, the Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Andrea Baum, said the Swiss Embassy and Nestle Nigeria were signing an agreement in the field of vocational training. Under the agreement, the Ambassador said, Switzerland will provide scholarships for five students annually at the Technical Training Centre. He added that the sponsorship would provide vocational training in the field of Electronics-Mechanics- Automation EngineeringHe further said that five best students from each promotion will have the opportunity to participate in an additional training module of four months in Switzerland in the framework of the training of programme of Nestle' s international headquarters.
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