The newly established Institute of Technology and Management (ITM) by the Cross River State government yesterday matriculated its first set of students..

The institute, situated in Ugep, and modeled after Highbury College , Portsmouth, is managed by the United Kingdom Institute.

At the moment it, offers courses in Business Management and Entrepreneurship, Information and Communication Technology, Leadership and Tourism Management. Automobile Engineering and other heavy engineering courses will soon commence.

Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Liyel Imoke disclosed that it was not an easy task convincing people, including members of the state executive council on why he preferred an institution modelled after Highbury College, Portsmouth, UK instead of “ our conventional institutions,” adding that “unless we make sacrifices, we can never get it right.”

Imoke said “This institution represents a culmination of this administration’s aim of positioning the youth in Cross River to be the most dynamic and versatile workforce in the country. We are acutely aware of the immense importance of this investment, which will not only transform the economic potentials of the students who attend this institution but will also enhance the future productivity of the state as a whole.

“The vision to build the Institute of Technology and Management in Cross River State was necessitated by the need to meet the dearth of vocational training required to prepare our youth to participate in an increasingly globally competitive economy. The upgrading of the College of Technology, Calabar into the Cross River State University of Technology had left a void in terms of the training of middle-level professionals and artisans that had remained unfilled until now. It was thus essential that this administration took bold steps towards fully preparing our people for the kinds of jobs which will be needed not just at the present time but also in the future particularly in a fast growing economy such as ours in Cross River. It thus became paramount that we embarked on the building and equipping of a world-class and state of the art institution geared towards providing hands-on vocational training programmes to prepare our students for the jobs of the future. The Institute of Technology and Management, Ugep is the result of this effort. Today’s matriculation is proof that we are well on our way to achieving this vision.”

The governor promised that the state will continue to invest in the institute, assuring that the signature building under construction will be a significant infrastructure with state of the art equipment and laboratories which will be commissioned next year before he leaves office.

Imoke, therefore, urged students to take advantage of the world class facilities in the institute.

The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Offiong E. Offiong, urged both staff and students to take ownership of the school as its standards will not be compromised because at the end, its products will stand tall amongst their contemporary anywhere in the world.

Offiong, who is the patron of the school, commended Imoke for the vision in establishing  the institution despite the state’s lean resources.

Rector of the school, Dr. William G. Pedley, lauded Imoke for his vision as well as the staff for helping in the take off and the students for their hard work.