Michael Imoudu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS) Ilorin has announced its readiness to combine the task of awarding diploma degrees in Labour Studies to deserving students with that of its major mandate of personnel training.

According to the Director General of the institute, Dr John Olanrewaju, in a chat with The Guardian recently in Ilorin, the MiNILS had gotten the nod of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to start the programme.

The institute, which recently held its 8th National Summit on Labour remains the only one of its kind in African sub- Saharan and has trained over 2,500 workers across West Africa yearly.

However, Olanrewaju believed that the diploma programme would assist in spreading modern techniques of labour relations among more labour activists who still believe in table banging rather than dialogue in resolving labour disputes.

According to him, "regarding other efforts at repositioning the institute to enable it more effectively confront its mandate and respond to emerging needs, we have been involved in several organisational development initiatives in the past years with considerable achievements.

"Three months ago, we got the formal approval of the NBTE to award National Diplomas in Industrial and Labour Relations. The approval was a major milestone, representing an unequivocal endorsement of several years of painstaking planning and investment on the part of the institute."

He added that the diploma programme, a low residency based, should be able to address the challenge of convenient learning options for workers, in addition to providing them with knowledge and certificates that do not only aid performance of tasks but also support their career progression.

Olanrewaju thanked Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed led administration for its kind gesture to the institute, especially its recent donation of a 20 room hostel and facilities to the MINILS. He said the development would help in providing first-rate accommodation to the clients of the institute.