BY CHRIS OCHAYI

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the National Power Sector Apprenticeship Scheme, NAPSAS, would close the existing skills gap created by many years of embargo on recruitment in the nation’s power sector.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Jonathan who stated this while inaugurating the scheme in Abuja, noted that apart from enhancing his administration’s transformation of the power sector, the scheme is a deliberate effort of the government to engage the teaming unemployed youths across the country in meaningful job opportunities.

Jonathan, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at the flagging- off the NAPSAS at the Presidential Villa, noted that the programme is meant to provide employment to the youths and sustain the developmental strides in the sector.

He urged all the states and the Federal Capital Territory to key into the programme. The President enjoined the participants to apply themselves to the programme in order to gain the necessary expertise for which the scheme is meant.

Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo said about 8, 200 artisans and craftsmen are needed in the sector between now and the year 2020, noting that the power industry in the country had suffered acute lack of manpower.

Nebo described the NAPSAS as a fast-track capacity building through an apprenticeship scheme designed to deal with the yearning skills gap, adding that the successor companies inherited business concerns that have not recruited for 15 years.

He said that the first batch of trainees is 7,400 drawn from the 36 states of the federation and Abuja, adding that the training will be handled by the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) in collaboration with National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Nebo stated that 3, 700 of the trainees are under federal government sponsorship while participating states will sponsor 100 each.

“One of the critical challenges within the Nigerian power sector which has become even more acute at this moment in the reform is the lack of adequate human capital and human capacity, embargo on employment in the defunct PHCN since 1998 which created a wider skills gap in the sector.

“The successor companies inherited companies that have not recruited for over 15 years. And there has not been structured skills training for over 23 years.

“The sector is bedevilled by an ageing workforce. Presently, there is a huge deficit especially among the technicians, artisans and craftsmen who account for less than 20 percent of the entire present workforce. More than 20 perecnt of these artisans were between 51 – 60 years as at 2012. One can only imagine the number two years after. With the expansion of access to power, It is projected that the sector will require additional 8200 artisans and craftsmen between now and 2020.

“It is on the back drop of the precarious situation that this novel intervention is being implemented. The National Power Sector Apprenticeship Scheme (NAPSAS) was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Power to bridge the wide gap in the low end skill cadre of the power sector,” he said.

NAPSAS is a fast track capacity building and skills acquisition program through an apprenticeship scheme. The scheme is expected to provide adequate skills training in four (4) core technical staff categories; distribution substation operators (DSO), cable joiners, linesmen/pole climbers and electrical fitters.

Chairman, House Committee on Power, Mr. Patrick Ikhariale corroborated the minister noting that during the oversight functions, his committee observed there was a dearth of workforce. The lawmaker said that if the nation fails to get what needed to be done to get the power sector reform right, Nigeria may be worse for it.