COREN proposes N75,000 allowance for engineering interns

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) has proposed a monthly allowance of N75,000 for interns participating in the one-year mandatory post-graduation engineering internship programme.

The programme, required for graduates from universities and polytechnics before their national youth service, aims to provide hands-on training and enhance employability.

COREN president, Prof. Sadiq-Zubair Abubakar, disclosed this during the induction ceremony for new engineering graduates into the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

Abubakar said Nigeria is the second African country to sign the Washington Accord, which allows engineering graduates to work globally after meeting certain requirements.

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These include completing the one-year internship, adopting a 10-semester academic system, and implementing student indexing for approved programmes.

He noted that although the internship is mandated by COREN and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), inadequate funding has hindered its full implementation.

COREN is working closely with the ITF, the National Assembly, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and other stakeholders to secure legislative backing and increased funding for the programme, he added.

Prof. Abubakar expressed concern that Nigerian engineers are often labelled unemployable due to the lack of practical training, emphasising the importance of the internship in equipping graduates with the necessary skills and competencies.

He also addressed the ongoing issue of dual accreditation for engineering programmes by both the National Universities Commission (NUC) and COREN, describing it as a waste of resources.

Abubakar announced that COREN is working on a framework for joint accreditation with the NUC to streamline the process and make better use of resources.

During the event, 885 engineering graduates from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria were inducted into the Nigerian Society of Engineers.