By Olayinka Latona

PRESIDENT Joint Professional Training Support International, JPTS, Professor Christopher Imumolen has called on Nigerians to embrace professional certifications which will serve as a cutting edge above academic qualifications.

Prof. Imumolen, speaking on behalf of the board and management of JPTS recently in Lagos, said the institution is concerned with the rate of academic decadence in the country hence the need for an urgent need to bridge the prevalent educational gap with professional certification.

Stating further, Imumolen asserted that, it is a known fact that the educational system in Nigeria has its great challenge, considering the quality of graduates being churned out yearly.

He noted that globally, the world is embracing professional certification, a cutting edge on the technical field and that many professional training institutes have grown into universities.

This according to him, is obviously an issue which should be nibbed in the bud, before it blows out of proportion.

In his words: “This is obviously a huge challenge, considering the fact that most of our graduates need to be brushed up to properly fit into industrial units or settings, hence, the purpose of professional certification.

“Yes we have government bodies which engage in professional training, but there is a need for private institutes to also assist in providing such trainings to bridge the gap. Such professional training schools like JPTS, which is not only  training theoretically, but also helping out on the practical fields, thereby helping Nigerians, fit properly into the work space,” he said.

He emphasised that JPTS is a professional training institute which has been bridging that gap over the years by training and providing certification in Health and Safety Management, Environmental Safety Management, Quality Management, and other fields.