The University of Calabar (UNICAL) in partnership with the Foundation for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Nigeria (FOPCHEN), have trained 25 students and 18 residents of Akai Efa community in solar installation and maintenance.
Issuing certificates to the beneficiaries on Friday in Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, Vice Chancellor of UNICAL, admonished the trainees to take the craft seriously adding that it was a golden nugget.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that UNICAL is currently at the forefront of a large-scale solar farm project that aims to provide sustainable power to the university, the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), and the UNICAL Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
Represented by Prof. Eno Nta, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), Administration, the Vice-Chancellor told the trainees that such an opportunity to be trained was rare, so they should value it.
“You have been told that the next phase will commence soon, and you will be taken on; it is for you to decide whether you want to shine or not; that is dependent on how you value and make use of your training.
“Put in your best with self-discipline, integrity and commitment, and you will not need to go around after graduation looking for white collar jobs but be employers of labour,” she said.
Similarly, Dr Blessing Ntamu, Head of External Relations at UNICAL, stressed the importance of equipping students with diverse skills, not just to make them employable but also to empower them to create job opportunities for others.
She noted that the training was practical and hands-on, with participants gaining real-world experience by installing solar equipment in various locations.
“This is the first cohort, and we hope to have other cohorts and, in collaboration with our partners, ensure that such training is held regularly in the institution,” she said.
She appealed to the trainees to grow in their skills and also train others as they were trained free of charge.
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On his part, the Director of FOPCHEN, Prof. Bekeh Ukelina, said the training is part of a bigger project to see how to reduce carbon emissions around the world.
Ukelina said the trainees would receive small grants and would be taken to an advanced stage of training on assembling and repairing inverters and, hopefully, on lithium battery production in the future.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Abigail Mkpong said she was grateful for the rare opportunity and would partner with with an already established solar installation company to refine her skills while waiting for the advanced training phase. (NAN)
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