Mantrac Floats On-line Initiative for Aspiring African Engineers

Eromosele Abiodun
Mantrac Nigeria has introduced Technicians for Africa Project, an e-learning website for engineering graduates, who aspire to become technicians in Nigeria and other African countries. The website, the company said in a statement, is leveraging its exiting state of the art e-learning solutions.

It added that the initiative is available for anyone that has the ambition to develop a career as a heavy equipment Technician.

“The initiative would help to breach the gap that exists between human labour and required skills. In Nigeria, three of the candidates who successfully completed the Caterpillar e-learning modules were recently honoured and given their Certificates and Caterpillar Kits by Mantrac Nigeria Limited at our head office in Lagos.

The presentation ceremony was hosted by Mantrac Nigeria, Managing Director, Mr. Edmund Martin-Lawson, Technical Training Manager, Mr. Lateef Adenle and Territory Marketing Co-ordinator, Mrs Olamide Alliu. Mr Martin –Lawson”, said the Company’s Service Operation Manager, Mr. Ahmed Ragab.

While congratulating the participants for being part of the pilot phase of the Caterpillar’s corporate social responsibility initiative, he described the initiative as, “giving back to society for the beneficiaries to upgrade their skills and foundation knowledge of Cat products and their operations”.
He noted that two other candidates who successfully participated in the scheme in Port Harcourt would also be honoured.

Also Ragab recalled that access to the basic Caterpillar Technician curriculum was free.
He noted that those who registered for the curriculum had the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and upon successful completion of the curriculum, were given their certificates of completion to support their chances of getting jobs.

The free, e-learning curriculum, he said, contained 18 modules of easy-to-understand, technical insights into safety and basic fundamental systems like electrical, hydraulics and power train. He noted that Caterpillar was recognising the technicians by giving them certificates of completion, declaring that the first five persons who completed the modules were equipped with Caterpillar special tools to aid their work in future, assuring that their experiences would be shared on Caterpillar’s website.

He added that participants were conducted round various departments of Mantrac Nigeria, including the workshop, re-building section and generator assembly plant, to acquaint them with the operations of the company.

One of the participants, Adebowale Ojo, an engineering graduate from Lagos State University (LASU) thanked Mantrac and Caterpillar for the opportunity, saying that was exactly what he needed to upgrade his skill; he craved for more of such opportunity to qualify as Caterpillar – certified engineer in future.

Ragad also stated that, “Mantrac Nigeria Limited is the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar products and services in Nigeria. Mantrac Nigeria supplies and supports machines for a wide and varied application in infrastructural, agricultural and mining development sectors and a complete range of Forklift Trucks for material handling. The Company also provides Caterpillar Engines and Generators for the oil sector and industrial users as well as the small range of Generators for small –scale industries and residential applications.”