NSQ practitioners urged to develop professional skills to meet rising demands

National Skills Qualifications (NSQ) practitioners have been charged to develop professional skills to meet rising building construction demands.

The Chairman, Artisans and Craftsmen Qualifications Awarding Board, Mr Christopher Belonwu, gave the charge at the 2024 continuous professional development workshop for NSQ practitioners organised by the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) in Owerri, on Friday.

Speaking on the theme: “The Changing Landscape in Skills Training – Playing Effective Roles in NSQ Delivery “, Belonwu, a professional builder, said that the workshop was aimed at plugging the observed practice gaps and guiding practitioners on how to get it right to meet the expected practice.

He said that the workshop was intended to guide centre managers and instructors on best practices to be adopted in operating and working at their centres to support trainees to acquire the needed qualifications.

He harped on the importance of the National Occupational Standards (NOS) in maintaining standards and how to align the centre curriculum to the standards so as to support learners to gather needed evidences in line with the NOS.

“We recognise the role of external quality assurance managers as gatekeepers at centres and the untapped opportunities in the formalising of the informal sector through recognition of prior learning for centre registration, monitoring, auditing and external verification.

“Quality assurance assessors play an unique role in supporting the learner to gather the needed evidences in line with the National Occupational Standards (NOS) to address blur areas in tracking and cross-referencing of evidences to the standards “, he said.

Speaking, President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Sir Alderton Ewa said the workshop, already held in Lagos and Abuja in June 2024 would provide an invaluable platform for continous knowledge sharing, professional development, and collaboration among NSQ practitioners.

He charged the participants not to relent in their resolve to periodically improve their skills for relevance in their chosen fields while establishing a clear framework for recognising skills and knowledge, regardless of the learning pathway, to ensure quality assurance and provide a path for career progression.

“The NIOB, in collaboration with the government and other stakeholders, will continue to play a pivotal role in strengthening NSQ.

“ We are proud to have developed the first NOS for the construction industry, which serves as a national standard for construction work and have also actively participated in the assessment and certification of artisans under programmes such as the Mafita and the N-Power Build project “, he said.

Also speaking, Speaking, Imo Chairman of the (NIOB) Mr Andy Osuagwu, said that the compulsory NSQ training is tailored towards learning, upgrading, assessment and certification where participants are assessed on individual and group levels about the challenges, needs and experiences of demanding jobs.

One of the participants, a quality assurance assessor, Mrs Hannah Kenneth said the programme was an eye opener for her not to compromise standards while observing and supervising an Artisan’s work so as to checkmate quackery in line with international best practices.

Among those in attendance was the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education, Prof. Idris Bugaje, represented by the board’s Southeast Zonal Director, Mrs Ngozi Okelekwe as well as the South-East Zonal Cordinator for Artisans and Craftmen Qualifications Awarding Board of the NIOB, Mr Orji Solomon.

A highlight of the workshop was the presentation of goodwill messages by the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the NIOB, Mr Aliyu Ova and former presidents of the institute, Mr Kenneth Nduka and Mr Kunle Awobodu.