Expert Advocate On Training Young Engineers For Effective Service Delivery

An expert, Moshood Olaniyan, has tasked government to motivate Nigerian-owned shipping companies to train young marine engineers for effective service delivery.

Speaking at the orientation programme for fresh students of the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine College, Lagos, Olaniyan noted that the major challenge facing marine engineers locally is lack of training opportunities for fresh graduates.

In his lecture titled: ‘Career prospects, opportunities and challenges for the marine engineer in 21st century maritime industry, Olaniyan, a marine engineer, also expressed concern over poor technological advancement in the sector.

He noted that most companies prefer people with experience, depriving fresh graduates’ opportunity for training and learning on the job.

Olaniyan lamented that most of the ships currently operating in the country are owned by foreigners.

In his words, “In this industry, government needs to ensure that we give training opportunities to young graduates for effective service delivery, while motivating Nigerian-owned shipping companies to train young marine engineers”.

While expressing concern over the Nation’s poor technology advancement, Olaniyan said marine engineers must study more and learn new things.

The deputy provost, administration, Dr. Muhammad Enaikele, said the college is a foremost institute that runs an integrated programme of fisheries and maritime courses.

Enaikele said the college was set up in 1969 with a mandate to train students in core courses related to fisheries and maritime disciplines.

“Since its establishment, the college has grown over time and today, we can beat our chest that we have over 75 per cent of our products in the Nigeria territorial water,” he said.

Enaikele noted that the orientation is a programme to formally sensitise students on the activities of the college and what is expected of them.

“The orientation is like a formal induction into the college. We have a lot of problems such as cultism, drug abuse and sexual harassment plaguing our campuses, so the programme was aimed at educating them on the need to abstain from such,” Enaikele added.