{"id":120830,"date":"2025-07-20T22:01:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T21:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=120830"},"modified":"2025-07-20T22:01:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T21:01:50","slug":"expert-advocates-one-year-engineering-internship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/expert-advocates-one-year-engineering-internship\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert Advocates One-Year Engineering Internship\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>By Daniel Adaji<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>A Nigerian engineer, Olawale Okunade, has called for the immediate introduction of a mandatory one-year internship programme for engineering graduates in the country, arguing that classroom education alone is \u201cinadequate to fix real life problems.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In a statement shared with Pointblanknews.com on Sunday, Okunade said thousands of engineering graduates leave Nigerian universities each year only to face the harsh realities of unemployment and lack of practical experience.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cMany of them are met with a harsh reality\u2014no jobs, no experience, and no real chance to practice what they\u2019ve studied for five years,\u201d he stated.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The proposed internship, according to him, would bridge the wide gap between academic training and industry expectations.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cEmployers often say, \u2018We need people with experience,\u2019 but fresh graduates ask, \u2018How do we get experience if no one gives us a chance?\u2019\u201d he noted.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Okunade described the one-year internship as \u201ca simple but powerful idea.\u201d It would place engineering graduates in real work environments\u2014such as companies, government agencies, and construction projects\u2014where they can gain hands-on experience, mentorship, and job-readiness.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cJust like doctors do a housemanship and pharmacists do an internship, engineers too need a professional bridge between the classroom and the real world,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Highlighting the potential benefits, Okunade explained that the internship would train graduates professionally, expose them to modern tools and technologies, and help them solve real-world problems.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cIt\u2019s not just about getting a job \u2014 it\u2019s about building a nation with engineers who are ready, capable, and confident,\u201d he added.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The programme, he suggested, could be coordinated by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), in partnership with the Nigerian Academy of Engineering and the private sector.<\/div>\n<div>\u201cGraduates will be matched with companies or agencies, mentored, assessed, and eventually certified as job-ready,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Citing examples from other countries, Okunade said nations like Germany, India, and South Africa already run similar systems where school-based education is complemented by industry-based training. \u201cNigeria can \u2014 and should \u2014 do the same,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>While acknowledging challenges such as limited placements, funding, and supervision, he said these can be overcome through policy support, incentives for host companies, digital performance tracking, and collaboration with local firms.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He urged Nigerians to champion the cause. \u201cYou can be part of this national transformation by spreading the word, encouraging policymakers, supporting engineering interns, and demanding accountability,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cA one-year internship is not a cost \u2014 it\u2019s an investment in Nigeria\u2019s future. Let\u2019s support it. Let\u2019s make it work with all total support and collaboration,\u201d Okunade stated.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Daniel Adaji A Nigerian engineer, Olawale Okunade, has called for the immediate introduction of a mandatory one-year internship programme for engineering graduates in the country, arguing that classroom education&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":120831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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