Good knowledge of prevailing software, drafting, building information modelling, and finite element analysis tools are important for anyone that wants to excel as a civil engineer, an expert, Engr. Samuel Olusegun Adebayo, has said.
Engr. Adebayo, Guest Speaker at the first Town and Gown Seminar of the Department of Civil Engineering, Covenant University, for the Alpha Semester of the 2020/2021 Academic Session, urged the students to always improve their skills to remain competitive.
While making his presentation titled ‘The Civil Engineer in the Real World’, with emphasis on the energy industry, Engr. Adebayo, a 2014 1st Class graduate of Civil Engineering from Covenant University, said that Civil Engineers could work in so many sectors of the economy: Construction, Transportation, Water and Environment, Mining, Telecoms, Marine, Offshore, Dredging, Aerospace, and Energy.
The Eagle (sobriquet for a graduate of Covenant) emphasized that skill development was a must for anyone who wanted to go far, no matter the natural talent. Then, he highlighted the vital skills for the various sectors where civil engineers were most needed. Common desirable skills for most sectors, according to him, included proficiency in design and analysis, modelling, time, human and resource management, research, brainstorming, troubleshooting, learning and re-learning.
Engr. Adebayo said that the Civil Engineers in the Oil and Gas industry could work as Construction Engineers, Structural Engineers, Offshore Structural Engineers, Subsea Structural Engineers, Installation Geotechnical Engineers, Environmental Engineers, CAD Engineers, HSE, and Project Engineers.
He posited that the future of energy required offshore structural engineering transitions and offshore wind turbine structural design. He also emphasized Cad Engineers, Designers and 3D Laser Scan for monitoring and damage identifying in structural components.
The Guest Speaker highlighted the importance of Health-Safety Engineers (HSE) in most engineering projects as they engaged in reducing hazards and improving safety for humans and the environment. He suggested the use of the internet wisely in research, networking and probing. He advised the students not to shy away from being an entrepreneur through Consultancy, Freelance and Start-ups.
Engr. Adebayo advised the students to pay attention to everything they learn in Covenant because no knowledge was useless, adding that Covenant training would set them apart in the society as employers of labour, which always testified to the uniqueness of Covenant graduates. He advised them to appreciate their networks and friends and be open to understanding and knowing more people; they should think out of the four walls of the University and be looking forward to how to impact the world. He added that the students should always explore new horizons and attempt things they desire to do.
He called on the students to always try to improve their skills to remain competitive. Good knowledge of prevailing software, drafting, building information modelling and finite element analysis tools are important for anyone that wants to excel as a civil engineer, according to the Guest Speaker.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Anthony Ede, urged the students to pay attention. He noted that the speaker was once like them in Covenant University and had acquired a lot of industry experiences that would inspire them with brighter hopes. He assured them that they would be more convinced that they made the right choice in choosing Civil Engineering as a course of study at Covenant University after the meeting.
The Dean, College of Engineering, Professor David Omole, urged the students to maximize the excellent opportunities offered them by their education in Covenant, as testified by the experiences showcased by the Guest Speaker and other graduates of Covenant soaring high across the globe.
The Director, Covenant University Central Instrumentation Research Facility (CUCIRF), Professor David Olukanni, urged the Guest Speaker to help synergize with other graduates of the Department for more frequent visits and interactions with the Department as a way of giving back to Covenant and assisting the students to be better equipped to fly higher after graduation.
Also in attendance at the Town and Gown event were faculty and staff of the Civil Engineering Department.