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21<br />
FEATURES<br />
Students listen during a class<br />
Tech schools are changing the rhythm<br />
in Computing: “You must wonder why I came<br />
all the way from Lagos to Ugep. I have visited<br />
so many schools round the country and I can<br />
tell you what they offer, but my experience<br />
here has given me a different assessment of<br />
other schools. For me, others are like glorified<br />
secondary schools. This school has brought<br />
out so many things in me. I will not be far<br />
from the truth if I say that ITM is first IT<br />
supported learning environment in Nigeria<br />
today. Here, we are taught how to be self-made<br />
and I do not regret my coming here.”<br />
The story is not different with Mr. Richard<br />
Etim, who is studying Leisure and Tourism<br />
in the institution. For him ITM is the best<br />
thing that has ever happened to him, even<br />
as he calls on other youth to join him. “ITM<br />
is a world -class institute and it is known<br />
for its uniqueness in Cross River State and<br />
in the UK. In ITM, you are taught among<br />
other things, to be a critical thinker, exposed<br />
to problem solving, time management skill<br />
which is critical for a successful business,<br />
team work skills and applying the lessons<br />
to real life situations. So if you have a child<br />
and you believe in them and want them to<br />
get the best in life and qualitative education<br />
that is entrepreneurial-based, then ITM should<br />
be your next stop.”<br />
As expected, take off of the school has come<br />
with its attendant socio-economic spin offs.<br />
Already, the locals are taking advantage of<br />
the opportunities that the presence of ITM<br />
provides in their community to set up tech<br />
businesses and construction of buildings for<br />
commercial and private use.<br />
Not to be left out of the imminent boom,<br />
most traders in Abakiliki, in neighbouring<br />
state of Ebonyi are beginning to relocate their<br />
businesses to Ugep.<br />
According to Mr. Tony Otuokoro, from<br />
Ebonyi State, who runs a provision store,<br />
“The establishment of this school has really<br />
brought a very big change to this environment.<br />
If you look around, you will notice it<br />
is a new site. People have started building<br />
around here. Even though the population<br />
is not much, business life has started and<br />
more people have approached me to secure<br />
Already, the locals are<br />
taking advantage of the<br />
opportunities that the<br />
presence of ITM provides<br />
in their community to set<br />
up tech businesses and<br />
construction of buildings<br />
for commercial and private<br />
use<br />
spaces for them, which are now becoming<br />
expensive.”<br />
Monday Ichie, who runs a cyber cafe, one<br />
of the businesses in the institution, spoke of<br />
his joy at the establishment of the institution.<br />
The Rector of the institution, William Pedley<br />
said apart from the world-class curriculum<br />
adopted for the school, to achieve the main<br />
goal of ensuring that between 90 and 100<br />
percent of its graduates are gainfully employed<br />
upon graduation, he will not relent, given<br />
the progress already made and the kind of<br />
response gotten from their staff.<br />
“I’m confident that we will get there.<br />
Our intension is to be international leader<br />
in vocational education and we are confident<br />
that with the foundation we have laid, we<br />
are not far from achieving that.”<br />
He further hinted: Harnessing the sporting<br />
potentials of the students must be equally taken<br />
into consideration alongside the academic<br />
activities which is why I am introducing the<br />
American Rugby in the school soon along<br />
other sporting events already captured.”<br />
Stressing on the focus and desirability of<br />
the school, Pedley explained that “from the<br />
research carried out particularly in Cross River,<br />
it was clear that what the local and national<br />
economy need are entrepreneurial students and<br />
business persons with requisite skills to man<br />
their companies. Many instances in Nigeria<br />
show that a lot of industries are in their<br />
infancy trying to build their bases without<br />
manpower, that was why we decided to take<br />
advantage of this vacuum to train young minds<br />
who will be potential managers of these firms.<br />
We have observed critically so that not many<br />
persons have realised that entrepreneurship<br />
is the key to economic development hence,<br />
our main focus.”<br />
Continuing, he said: “Highbury was<br />
selected from a rigorous process by the<br />
state government. That was after assessment<br />
by the government that Highbury College<br />
matched the requirement of the state after<br />
proper examination of our track records in<br />
entrepreneurship development in the UK and<br />
outside the UK. So we were contracted to keep<br />
the institution up and running for five years<br />
and thereafter hand it over to an indigenous<br />
Nigerian management which we have already<br />
started training in line with current realities<br />
and according to our standards.<br />
“Here in Cross River State, there has been<br />
a great welcome, and fantastic support. The<br />
academic institutions we came across have<br />
been very supportive and we have recruited<br />
young and energetic Nigerians who have come<br />
to realise that truly, this is the right place to<br />
be and they are doing their work effectively<br />
as expected. From the state government, I<br />
will affirm that so far, the support has been<br />
firm and constant and that has kept us up<br />
and running.”