In furtherance of its aim to develop indigenous manpower in the Nigerian telecommunication industry, Etisalat Nigeria, has rolled out another set of postgraduate students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria as part of its 2015/16 Etisalat Telecommunication Engineering Postgraduate Programme (ETEPP). The course intakes were unveiled during the closing ceremony of the 2016 edition of the internship programme held in Abuja recently.
The internship is part of the Etisalat Telecommunication Engineering Postgraduate Programme (ETEPP), a Master’s Degree course in Telecommunication Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria which is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of Etisalat. This program provides students with the opportunity to gain practical knowledge through a month-long internship stint with various departments of the technical division of Etisalat Nigeria.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko explained that the internship programme which commenced in 2013 is a flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of Etisalat Nigeria designed for students to gain practical experience in the field of telecommunication by undergoing a month-long work experience in various departments of the engineering section of Etisalat, to augment and buttress their course work in school.
“The objective of this program is to drive and improve the quality of local manpower in the telecommunication industry by adding practical knowledge to the theory students have learnt in the school. Through this initiative, Etisalat is grooming local telecommunication engineers that would take the industry to the next level in the next 10 to 15 years,” he said.
Chief Technical Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Stephane Beuvelet said Etisalat observed that Etisalat took the challenge of raising and improving local manpower in the telecommunication industry in Nigeria after observing a gap in Nigerian universities offering courses in telecommunication engineering in the country.
“We are working in partnership with Plymouth University UK, the Etisalat Academy, UAE and the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,” he said.
“In addition to the Students Masters’ programme, lecturers of the Ahmadu Bello University are also sponsored for their Ph.Ds in Plymouth University UK, while three best students of ETEPP will be at the Etisalat Academy in the UAE,” he added.
One of the interns of the Etisalat Telecommunication Postgraduate Programme (ETEPP), Kelechi Okogwu, an M.Sc. student of Telecommunication Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria expressed his appreciation to Etisalat. According to him, the initiative presents a wonderful opportunity to anyone interested in developing a career in telecoms engineering, with the course content well thought-out between the faculty and Etisalat.
*Photo shows (L-R) Chief Technical Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Stephane Beuvelet; Intern,
Etisalat Telecommunication Engineering Postgraduate Programme (ETEPP), Unachukwu Josephine ; Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko at the closing ceremony of the Etisalat Telecommunication Engineering Postgraduate Programme (ETEPP) Internship for postgraduate students of ABU, held in Abuja recently.
