Private university integrates international ICT, E-business in academic curricular

Caleb, a Nigerian private university has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New Horizons, the world’s largest Information Communication Technology (ICT) training institution with a view to integrate international ICT and e-business certifications into the university’s academic curricular.

At the MoU signing event in the university, the Vice Chancellor, Diji Aina was full of excitement at the great opportunities which the programme will primarily afford the students, irrespective of their academic disciplines, and the relevant university staff members who will also enjoy periodic staff training.

Speaking, the vice chancellor reiterated that the seamless mandatory schedule will guarantee that every student of the university will undergo specialised international certification-based professional IT and e-business skills training and acquire a minimum of four international professional licenses in lucrative technologies.

He reasoned convincingly that given the global economic challenges and the shrinking employment opportunities worldwide and in Nigeria especially, Caleb University graduates will be able to use the internationally validated professional skills-set as the ‘’Icing on their BSc and BA academic Cakes’’ to become the toast of the employers for lucrative jobs as well as get opportunity to become self-employed as specialists and consultants in these globally hot skills and certification areas.

Similarly, he expressed joy with regards the twin advantages of the strategic partnership which will bestow on the staff members  a free of cost refresher ICT and E-Business training to boost official and personal productivity and a second benefit of an annual financial award/prize to be won by the 3 best lecturers for academic excellence.

In the same vein, Tim Akano, the MD/CEO of New Horizons Nigeria commended the visionary management of the university for the partnership initiative. He restated the necessity for such strategic synergies between academics and industry in this Information Age, such that the university will regain and fulfill their traditional role of serving as the ‘manufacturing/incubating House’ for production of future fully–baked graduates empowered with both academic excellence and ICT-driven professional competency for both the employment and self- employment Industry.

Akano equally recapped that the programme will further serve to augment the Webometric ranking of the university, since the training infrastructure to be supplied by New Horizons include, hardware, software and International Professional skills/Certifications. These stand to boost the IT-driven stance of Caleb University as part of the global ranking metrics.

Concluding, Akano said that such strategic collaborations have been confirmed to be working through the relative edge as evidenced in graduates from notable Universities like Babcock, Bowen, Redeemer, Salem, Lead City, Adeleke, Mkar, Samuel Adegboyega, and others that have deployed such international professional schemes.