By Angela Atabo
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) says it plans to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) for chip design training in Nigeria.
The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of 22 students trained in chip design by ChipLab.
Bugaje said the standards would enable skills training centres across the country to introduce chip design programmes and provide certification and quality assurance.
“Our challenge is that the curriculum being used by the industry is not available to us.
“But if we develop National Occupational Standards for chip design, our skills training centres across Nigeria can start doing chip design,” he said.
He said the initiative would help position Nigeria as a hub for chip design and enable more young Nigerians to acquire skills in the semiconductor industry.
“NBTE is determined to keep this train moving. Nigeria should not be left behind,” Bugaje said.
He said the six-month programme was the second ChipLab cohort in Nigeria, following the first cohort conducted in Lagos.
Bugaje said NBTE would continue to support the programme, including providing accommodation for future cohorts through a hostel being constructed at its premises.
He said the next step would be to attach the graduates to chip-design companies in Nigeria and abroad for internships.
“Some of you may even be out of the country, so that you participate in this cutting-edge area of technology,” he said.
Yen Choi, a Director of ChipLab, said the graduates were among the brightest students selected through a rigorous screening process.
Choi said the graduates acquired practical skills in very-large-scale integration, digital design, SystemVerilog, UVM and verification.
According to him, the growing adoption of artificial intelligence and digital devices would increase demand for efficient chips.
“The demand for chip making will explode if it has not done so already. And these graduates are positioned perfectly to harness those opportunities,” he said.
Choi urged the graduates to remain committed to excellence, continuous learning and good character as they begin their careers.
Also speaking, one of the graduands, Fatima Buhari, said the six-month training had been an interesting experience that equipped her with practical knowledge in chip design and verification.
Buhari, a computer science graduate, said she planned to continue working on projects to upgrade her skills in chip design.
She said she also intended to apply for opportunities with international companies and contribute to the development of Nigeria’s technology sector.(NAN)
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi
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