Innovation In Technical Vocational Education And Training Research Group

email: itvetrg@unn.edu.ng

INNOVATIONS IN TVET RESEARCH /PROJECT GROUP, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

Preamble

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is an area that governments, development agencies and the academics acknowledge that would offer sustainable panacea to youth unemployment and socioeconomic empowerment; yet it attracts minimal financial support and genuine attention by national governments.  It is also an area that academic research has lingered behind everyday reality such that policies are made without empirical bases. Even the few research efforts are poorly disseminated to policy makers who are hardly informed about the nature and scope of TVET. The envisaged out-sourcing to Africa by manufacturing companies from the developed countries cannot materialize unless TVET is properly organized in order to provide the needed skills. Given the age long neglect of this area, it is only consistent researches that will unveil innovative interventions/projects that will provide the recognition, resources and impetus needed to accord TVET the pride of place as an academic discipline capable of solving development challenges in Nigeria and Africa at large. TVET remains a veritable means of reducing poverty, industrialization and economic development of Africa. There is need for professionalization in this area to make it responsive to the workforce needs of the region.

Therefore, Innovations in TVET Research/project Group vision, mission, strategic goals, objectives, operational modalities and opportunities/ resources available to them are outlined below:

Vision: To become a leading Research/Project Group in transforming formal and informal TVET practices through systems innovation generation.

Mission: To conduct cutting-edge Research, Training and Capacity enhancement programmes for unveiling innovative practices, uplifting low image of TVET and promoting its attractiveness in our contemporary society in view of the up-surge of technologies in the learning and workplace environment.

Strategic Goal: Innovations in TVET Research/Project Group is to evolve outcomes that will help to re-engineer TVET practices/skills development, improve technical teacher education, up-skill researchers and develop indigenous digital instructional materials/tools that will be used in technical colleges, polytechnics, and universities.

Research/Project Group Objectives: 

• To undertake researches in TVET systems innovation, programme delivery and best practices in skills development/ Training in the formal and non-formal settings
• To conduct skills gap analysis of emerging occupations for evolution of novel training programmes
• To explore boundaries/innovations in Greening TVET curriculum across TVET
• To carry out TVET policy analysis and dialogue with stakeholders.
• To mentor members using varying mentoring models
• To Seek opportunities  for capacity enhancement of members through fellowships, academic mobility programmes and short training within and outside Nigeria.

Operational Modalities

• We are committed to seeking grants for research, training/capacity building programmes, development projects and mobility/exchange programmes – the Group participated in a World Virtual Conference on  Delivering TVET through Quality Apprenticeships” from 15 to 26 June 2015 and July 3 to 16, 2018 on Improving the Image of TVET for Youth Attractiveness for experts in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training organised by UNESCO-UNEVOC (International Centre for Technical Vocational Education & Training, Bonn Germany
• Membership is Voluntary but very strong commitment is needed;
• There could be small or whole group project;
• Members have equal opportunities in evolving ideas in developing projects while the originator becomes the leader/principal investigator in that project;
• Any person from Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education or any Department in the University or outside UNN is welcomed who is willing to be part of the Group to develop a project (including leading the project if s/he originates the project);
• The Group can also request for co-opting any person from various disciplines within and outside UNN (in collaboration) whose expertise may be required for executing the target project.
• There are plans to transform the Group into a national or international consortium for the purpose of engaging in a joint project depending on the target requirements of the project or consortship. This will enable us leverage on the global networks/resources at our disposal.

Opportunities, Resources and Tools

The Group has among many other opportunities/network resources  for information and linkages for projects, the following;

• Higher Education Academy Network;
• UNESCO-UNEVOC e-forum network;
• Erasmus Mundus Academic Mobility Projects Network;
• Innovation in Vocational Education and Training (IVET) Network;
• Erasmus Plus EU Project funding opportunities Network;
• Netherlands Fellowship Programmes and Funding Opportunities Network;
• UNESCO-UNEVOC Centre Global Network;
• Possible linkages/partnershi with UNDP, ILO, UNICEF Vocational Training Programmes, Foreign Embassies.
• Federal and State Ministries and Parastatals;
• And many others.

 

Team Members:

s/n	Name	Qualification	Specialization
1	Dr Toochukwu Ejiofor	B.Sc, PhD	Agricultural Education
2	Dr Ngozi M. Eze	B.Sc, M.Ed. PhD	Home Economics Education
3	Dr Wale Olaitan	B.Sc, M. Ed, PhD	Industrial Technical Education
4	Dr Catherine C. Kanu	B.Sc, M.Ed,  PhD	Business Educator and Management Consultant
5	Dr  Ernest   Ugwoke	B.Sc, M.Ed, PhD	Business & office Tech Education
6	Mr. Dennis Edafioghe	B.Sc, M.Sc, PDTE	Computer Education and ICT applications in instructional delivery
7	Mr. Tobias Orji	B.Sc, M.Ed	Industrial Technical Education
8	Dr Funmilayo V. Doherty	B.Sc, M.Sc, PhD	Environmental Toxicology
9	Dr Ifeanyi B. Ohanu	B.Sc, PhD	Industrial Electrical/Electronics
10	Dr Juliana Ukonze	BSc, M.Ed, PhD	Farmer Education programmer
11	Dr Florence Ifeanyieze	BSc, M.Ed, PhD	Diary Product processing expert
12	Dr Ashagwu Okadi	B.Sc, Med, PhD	Agric Environmental Control  & TVET Quality Assurance Expert
13	Prof. Edwin Igbokwe	BSc, M.Ed, PhD	Agricultural Extension and communication expert
14	Dr Chiamaka Chukwuone	BSc, Med, PhD	Home Economics & Hospitality Management Education
15	Dr Nnenna E. Ibezim	BSc, Med , PhD	Computer and Robotics Education & Expert in ICT in TVET
16	Prof. Emmanuel Osinem – Team Coordinator emma.osinem@unn.edu.ng +234(0)8060925921	B.Sc, PhD ILO Academy  on Skills Development Alumnus	Agricultural Education & Training and TVET Quality Assurance Consultant