Education
Group demands institutionalisation of mentorship training for young engineers – EnviroNews
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The Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), Warri Chapter, has expressed concerns regarding the gap between the academic training of many civil engineers and their practical application of this knowledge in their professional career.
The organisation, during its monthly webinar workshop on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, lamented that graduates often demonstrate theoretical knowledge but struggle with the interpretation of drawings and site management, understanding of contract administration and procurement.
Other areas they highlighted that fresh engineers battle with include quality assurance and safety management, professional communication and client engagement, and ethical decision-making under pressure, as well as integration into professional institutions and career progression.
“So that is the problem,” Alex Ifeagwazi, coordinator of the NICE South East Zone and guest speaker at the event, said.
In a paper titled “Mentorship in Civil Engineering: The Value of Social Currency in Building Competent, Connected, and Sustainable Engineering Professionals”, Ifeagwazi – recently elected as Vice National Chairman at the 2026 NICE International Conference/AGM held from October 20 to October 22 in Lagos = highlighted the absence of a robust framework that integrates mentorship into engineering education as a significant factor contributing to the issue.
According to him, the setback also stems from the fact that informal mentoring is dying since many senior engineers are too busy to teach younger engineers while regulatory agencies concentrate on conferences.
In his examination of the relationship between mentoring and social currency, Engr. Ifeagwazi stated that mentors do not only transfer technical knowledge; they transfer trust, reputation, and networks that young engineers cannot earn quickly on their own.
“The concept of social currency is proposed as the missing ingredient in the professional development of civil engineers in Nigeria,” he asserts, describing it as the usable value of a professional’s reputation.
He went on in his presentation to show that despite its advantages, mentorship in civil engineering still faces obstacles such as a lack of institutional incentives for mentors, communication gaps and generational disparities, a lack of knowledge among young engineers, and programme budgetary limitations.
The good news, however, is that he said that these barriers can be addressed and therefore recommended a seven-point approach, which includes establishing a National Mentorship Directorate (NMD) to coordinate mentorship across zones and chapters and the adoption of a formal mentorship structure with a 1:3 mentor-to-mentee ratio with annual reporting.
His other suggestions include that universities should partner with NICE chapters to ensure practical mentorship and SIWES students and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) to consider documented mentorship as a criterion for professional registration and advancement.
Additionally, he proposed recognising outstanding mentors through awards and professional credits, using digital platforms for mentorship matching, webinars, and progress tracking—especially for geographically dispersed mentees—and providing training for mentors on coaching skills, generational leadership, and ethics.
In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of the NICE Warri Chapter, Jubril Sunday Jayeola assured his members that they will have more access to opportunities under his administration as part of efforts to maintain the profession’s integrity.
According to him, he will achieve this by enhancing professional excellence through continuous learning, ethics, innovation, and safety; promoting technopreneurship; and further encouraging teamwork.
The chairman also pledges to expand the chapter’s membership and support programmes aimed at strengthening the capacity of young engineers.
Jayeola ended his speech by thanking the guest speaker and other participants for their participation in the programme, describing it as a clear indication of their commitment to the development of the sector across the country.
Conclusion
Truth be told, the future of civil engineering in Nigeria depends not only on infrastructure investment and technical education but also on the quality of professionals produced. Competence is built in relationships, not just in classrooms. Connection is built through professional communities, not isolation. Sustainability is achieved when each generation deliberately raises the next.
Social currency is the value that makes mentorship powerful. When senior engineers invest their trust, reputation, and networks in young engineers, they do not lose their social capital; they multiply it.
This paper therefore calls on NICE, academia, industry, and regulators to institutionalise mentorship. The profession must move from occasional guidance to structured development. Only then can Nigeria produce civil engineers who are not just certificated but competent, connected, and sustainable.
The legacy of an engineer is not measured by the structures he built alone but by the professionals he built.
By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja