Clintonel Innovation Centre (CIC) and Advanced Engineering Centre (AEC), an Abia-based technology empowerment centre, have intensified their campaign to partner with the government and the private sector to build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation in Nigeria.
Tochukwu Chukwueke, founder of CIC, noted that the centre has invested substantially in the move to create conditions for the development of innovation and engineering creativity while at the same time improving the employability of students through the interaction with universities and the industrial and business sectors.
He said the Centre has been partnering with institutions towards implementing prototyping, 3D printing and 3D modelling technologies into the educational process of all specialities and, in particular, engineering, adding the place was designed with the specific purpose of providing practical solutions, stimulating youth entrepreneurship and enhancing the quality of training specialists.
He called for adequate investment in youth innovation and research programmes, to tackle poverty.
According to him, Nigeria needs competent engineers for industrial and economic development, to move from consumption to production.
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To this end, he said the centre was organising the Nigerian Genius Engineering Competition project to bring together Nigeria’s brightest minds to solve Nigeria’s most complex engineering and manufacturing challenges.
He said those selected for the project will be accommodated for two weeks at Clintonel Advanced Engineering Centre (AEC), Aba, with the winner getting a cash prize of a million naira.
They will under intensive training on engineering and different manufacturing processes including: critical thinking, problem solving, product design, prototype development, welding, fabrication, metal casting, computer aided design (CAD), and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) such as 3D printing, laser engraving, laser cutting and CNC machining.
Also, the selected students will be given access to advanced manufacturing equipment to build prototypes of their solutions.
According to the founder, CIC has established a strategic alliance with universities for students to acquire practical experiences in undergraduate engineering programmes such as computer, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering.
Students benefit from innovative cross-disciplinary collaborative programming combining traditional engineering education with skills associated with entrepreneurship, collaboration, and creativity, he said.
Chukwueke said CIC is providing the next generation of engineers with the expertise they need to thrive in the knowledge-based economy, adding that it is advancing partnerships with universities for an innovative curriculum that gives students access not only to training across a variety of engineering disciplines but also to several critical skills employers are looking for in offering high-value jobs.
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