OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the programme can be looked at from four perspectives: students, faculty/staff, Schools and the community.

Students

Generally, the vocational training programme seeks:

1. To give students the opportunity to apply knowledge acquired from the classroom on the field through service provision to help address the health and health-related needs of the people.
2. To enable students gain relevant experience in working with other health professionals and stakeholders in the community through exchange of ideas.
3. To help students to learn how the health system is planned for effective evidence-based service provision.
4. To enable students gain an understanding of how the health system operates and prepare them towards the world of work upon completion.
5. To help students identify the nature of development issues confronting the country at large.
6. To help students develop appropriate attitudes towards working in the community and deprived areas of the country where their services are most needed.

Specifically, the University believes that by the end of the programme, the student should be able to:

1. Describe the Health System under the various disciplines as well as the clinical components of the Health System.
2. Understand the community and its allied services as related to public health.
3. Understand the relationship between the various health disciplines in ensuring the health of the public.
4. Undertake short or mini research projects during the programme or conceive and/or implement a community project in the host community.
   

Faculty / Staff

The vocational training programme seeks to afford faculty / staff the opportunity to:

1. Put their expertise at the disposal of host health facilities, institutions/industries and communities;
2. Identify health related and other developmental challenges/problems in the host community, investigate them and make recommendations to the appropriate authority.

Schools

The vocational training programme seeks to afford schools within the University the opportunity to:

1. Establish a longitudinal study on a number of indicators such as monitor the nutritional status and immunization coverage of women and children under five (5) years, monitor health insurance coverage and renewals in selected electoral areas, and monitor sexual behaviour among adolescents in selected electoral areas in the nation and beyond.
2. Organise meetings or seminars with the communities and other stakeholders on specific projects identified after the longitudinal study and incorporate feedback and concerns from the stakeholders into the projects.

Community

The vocational training programme seeks to help communities to:

1. Identify health related and other developmental challenges/problems in the community.
2. Conceive and implement interventions to address the health related and other developmental challenges/problems or make recommendations to the appropriate authority.

Stakeholder Involvement and Support

The University believes that the concept, nature and duration of the Vocational Training Programme should be explained and shared with all stakeholders (students, faculty, managers and workers of health facilities, institutions/industries and especially communities) and also highlight the complementary role every community is expected to play for it to succeed. This is usually done through advocacy and community entry and mobilisation strategies whose ultimate goal is to mobilise all stakeholders to come on board to support the programme.

The distribution of students and the active participation of faculty / staff across all hosting facilities and communities in the country for the Vocational Training Programme calls for transportation, accommodation, feeding, security, recreation and funds among others. This shows that the programme requires the involvement of all key stakeholders and professionals identified at accredited health facilities, institutions/industries and communities as well as material resources to sustain and make the programme successful. To this end, the Vocational Training Unit considers all external constituents of the University as partners.