By Sheron Tita
The Southwest Regional Delegate for Employment and Vocational Training, MINEFOP, Orock Thomas Eyong, has appealed for more equipment to foster vocational training within the context of Artificial Intelligence.
He made the appeal during the Southwest Regional Sector Conference held in Buea, on the 18 th of October, 2024.
The Sector conference aimed at launching 2024-2025 academic year in the vocational education milieu was held under the theme “Vocational Training Within The Context Of Artificial Intelligence”.
Orock Thomas Eyong appealed for more equipment to foster the drive of artificial intelligence in the vocational sector in the Southwest Region.
“When there is shortage you go looking for things. We try as much as possible to fill up the gap. We cannot afford to stay behind the world. It is a digital world now. If you talk about artificial intelligence there is no way we can deal without computers. So when I talked of shortage I am talking in terms of our branches in rural areas which are facing a lot of challenges in terms of not just having the computers but sources of energy”, he appealed.
Robert Eyabe, Divisional Delegate Employment and Vocational Training for Meme Division, for his part, added his voice to that of the delegate in reiterating that they don’t have the required equipment to foster artificial intelligence drive in vocational training.
“ As it stands presently in Meme, what we have is just three public centers. The one which is
located in the town Kumba, is actually not really prepared to integrate artificial intelligence in vocational training because presently we don’t even have the required machines that can run the centers. And secondly talking about computers none of those centers which are active is in possession of computers so those are the difficulties we have been singing yearly that the
Government should come into filling that gap”, he pleaded.
He went further in noting the lack of computers has led to low enrollment of the population into vocational training centers.
The sector conference wrapped up with the Vocational Stakeholders optimistic that the Government shall address the challenge faced by the vocational sector through the donation of computers to foster the incorporation of artificial intelligence in their curriculum.
