Varsity seeks to bridge entrepreneurship gap among students

Prof. Clement Kolawole, Acting Vice-Chancellor, Trinity University, Yaba, says the institution is researching on ways to further bridge the gap in entrepreneurship skills in students.

Kolawole said this in an interview with the newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.

He said that the institution, established in 2019, had identified a gap in the area of entrepreneurship, noting that there was a bridge between what the students learnt in the university and the skills demanded in the labour market.

“Here in our university, we believe that once you have a degree, you should be able to do something else, along with the certificate. That is part of our research activities.

“This is because we have researched on it and found out that such need must be met and so we are leaving no stone unturned, to ensure that we prepare our students on that.

And in that regard, we are establishing a very strong entrepreneurship centre, where our students can have hands-on experience to add to the knowledge they have acquired in the university,” he said.

According to him, the institution has also identified relevant researchable issues in Lagos to embark on, in areas such as water, population, transportation and environment.

“As a new university, we are still growing.

“Nevertheless, we have identified relevant researchable issues currently. For for example in Lagos; we talk about the problem of water; population and transportation. These are real issues that are related to water and environment.

“In our Biotechnology discipline, our colleagues are currently embarking on some research activities, some in collaboration with universities in Nigeria, others, with universities outside the country and some with existing universities.

“Also in the area of international relations, we have established a relationship with German University, to take Nigeria -German relationship to higher level.

“This will enable us to bring them here once in a year, to speak to us on the new phase of that relationship and the challenges that are involved, being a research potential area for us,” Kolawole said.

He noted that recently, vice chancellors of universities in Lagos met at the University of Lagos to rub minds and see how to foster work relationship in the area of research.

He added the group formed eventually a body that would working toward identifying a common research interest in the state and then pull resources together to that effect.

“The committee has been set up, of which Trinity university is a member.

“Still on research, we are also brainstorming on what we can do with science at the elementary and tertiary school level.

“There is a committee that is working to see how that can transcend to research that can be funded, so that we can go on with that in partnership with the Lagos State Government.

“All of us as individuals are also focusing on what we can do to advance our scholarship,” Kolawole said.

Still on research activities of the institution, Kolawole disclosed that there was an ongoing research programme for TETFund on ‘Nigeria’s contributions to SDG, of which he is a member.

He stated that such research project could not be carried out in the institution being a private university, but however appealed to the government to amend the law, whereby private universities could also benefit from TETFUND.

According to him, TETFUND, should be of benefit to everybody globally, so, if the law can be amended and private universities benefit also from it, many researches can be funded, thereby using it to advance national development.