50 Ondo youths, technicians trained in mechatronics to boost automotive industry

In order to ensure skills development in the automotive sector of the Country, the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has embarked on the training of 50 youths and technicians in mechatronics in Ondo State.

Oluwemimo Osanipin, the Director General of the NADDC, who spoke with journalists on Tuesday during the training in Akure, however, said the glaring challenges posed by the service and maintenance of most modern vehicles in the Country, prompted the Council few years ago to embark on skills-gap analysis.

According to him, as a Federal Government Agency charged with mandate of ensuring the growth, development and survival of the automotive industry in Nigeria, it became imperative to contribute hugely towards nipping the problem in the bud.

He added that the Council’s driving force was the quest to upgrade the skills of our technicians in the repair/maintenance of new generation vehicles with training of mechanics on the maintenance and repair of vehicles.

“To ensure skills development in the automotive sector is institutionalised and in line with global best practices, the council has built twenty- one Automotive Training Centres (ATCs) across the six geo- political zones.

“This intervention is majorly aimed at redefining the nation’s auto industry, job creation and improvement in skills among technicians.

“This will in turn ensure prompt and efficient repair and maintenance of vehicles, while ensuring the safety of the mechanics, the vehicles and environment.

“Many of the projects have been completed and are equipped with state- of – the – art equipment/tools,” he said.

Osanipin said it was important to know that technology in the auto sector advances continually and at a very fast pace, hence, the need for training and retraining.

“New automotive technologies are also emerging and rapidly gaining momentum. The only way to meet up with these advancements is training and re-training.

“Fortunately, the Nigeria Automotive Industry Development Plan (NAIDP) that is been driven by NADDC has skills development as one of its cardinal pillars. This training programme is in sync with mandates of the NAIDP,” he added.