This document discusses the importance of providing proficiency training to administrative staff at universities. It notes that university administration has become more complex with increasing student numbers and programs. Providing periodic training helps administrators acquire new skills and stay competent to manage the growing demands of administration. The document uses the National Open University of Nigeria as a case study. It outlines the trainings provided to NOUN administrators and the advantages of such trainings in enhancing staff and registry performance. Challenges like funding and time constraints as well as strategies to address them are also discussed. The conclusion emphasizes that regular, expert-led proficiency training is vital for administrative staff to efficiently deliver university services.

1. Temitayo Olowola (Ms)
Deputy Registrar
(Staff Training & Development)
National Open University of Nigeria

2. Introduction & Overview
 The University institution is expected to produce the
leaders of tomorrow, right from the time it opens its
door to admit students.
 In order to achieve this objective, there is need for the
system to have different kinds of administrators
 who would be required and competent enough to
manage the administration that will produce
administrative support services for the academic
functions of the University.

3. Introduction & Overview
 In the past, University administration was a
model of simplicity, since it was essentially
restricted to the affairs between teachers and
the students.
 Administration was based on the outcome of
academic operations that were necessitated by
limited student enrolment, small budgets and
very narrow curriculum.
 Now university administration has become
complex as there are more students, increase in
programmes...

4. Introduction & Overview
 Equally affected in this expansion in scope are
the budgets, students’ services and the
physical facilities in every university.
 It has become imperative to have a category of
administrators that possess the administrative
and management skills and are dedicated to
the academic community.
 It is the availability of a crop of dedicated and
professionally competent administrators that
could provide the right atmosphere required
for the execution of university’s duties;

5. Introduction & Overview
 It is this fact that makes it mandatory that only
suitable individuals should be recruited to
handle the university administrative matters.
 Administrators in the system should be
subjected to periodic trainings for the purpose
of skills acquisition and competency
development.
 To be able to cope with the dynamics of
administration that manifests in the style of
management that is mostly conducted
through committees, amongst others.

6. Introduction & Overview
 In order to achieve best administrative practices
 that would manifest in best performances of the
University administrators
 this paper is proposing the adoption of proficiency
trainings for them
 The experiences of the National Open University of
Nigeria are used as reference points to demonstrate the
advantages that could accrue to University registries
that adopt this approach.

7. Introduction & Overview
 The assumption here is that these trainings will enable
the trainees to develop high degree of skills that will
help them in various aspects of their career.

9. NOUN
 Core Business
 The National Open University of Nigeria is set up as a
specialised university within the higher education
sector to democratize and liberalise educational
opportunities.

10. NOUN is...
• Open to people
• Open to places
• Open to methods
• Open to ideas
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11. ODL – e-learning – More than Technology
 People are the most
important PEOPLE
 Technology is the enabler
 People need to be able
to use the Technology
 The Processes must
support the people PROCESS TECHNOLOGY
and technology
 Project Execution is
essential to get the
PROJECT
whole thing off the ground EXECUTION

12. NOUN
 In terms of structure and compartmentalisation, the
University comprises the core academic units (the
schools and centres)
 and the non-academic units made up of directorates
manned mainly by administrators some of whom are
registry staff of the University.

13. Deans/Directors of Academic units
PHYSICAL PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
VISITOR
INTERNAL AUDIT
CHANCELLOR
VISITORS INFORMATION & CALL CENTRES
GOVERNING COUNCIL
MEDIA & INFORMATION
VICE-CHANCELLOR
LEGAL & PROTOCOL
KADUNA CAMPUS
DIRECTORATE OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
ABUJA PLANNING OFFICE
DIRECTORATE OF PROCUREMENT
DEPUTY VICE- REGISTRAR/DIRECTOR, DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR BUSAR/ DIRECTOR, FINANCIAL DEPUTY VICE-CHANCELLOR LIBRARIAN/ DIRECTOR,
CHANCELLOR ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES (TECHNOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT) SERVICES (ADMINISTRATION) LEARNING RESOURCES
(ACADEMIC)
* ACADEMIC * ACADEMIC AFFAIRS *ICT & LEARNER * BUDGET * GENERAL * BOOKS & JOURNALS
MATTERS OF SCHS * HUMAN RESOURCES COMPUTING SUPPORT * FINANCE & GENERAL SERVICES * COURSE TEXT & ICT
*STUDY CENTRE * COUNCIL AFFAIRS *ITSS SERVICES SERVICES PURPOSES * RESEARCH &
*ANTI CORRUPTION &
MANAGERS *SALARIES & WAGES BIBLIOGRAPHY
TRANSPARENCY UNIT
* EXPENDITURE * READERS’ SECTION
* COMPUTERISATION
STUDY
* EXCHANGE PROG.SEC.
CENTRES
* VIRTUAL LIBRARY SEC.

14. NOUN
 Currently, NOUN has a total of 963 non teaching
staff.
 733 Senior
 230 Junior staff .
 Academic staff = 218
 Facilitators (Part-time) for programmes in 47 centres
 Total applicants 124,038
 Registered learners 57,798

15. NOUN
 The schools and academic centres are
 Access and General Studies Unit
 Centre for Life-Long Learning and Workplace
Training
 School of Arts and Social Sciences
 School of Education
 School of Law
 School of Management Sciences
 School of Science and Technology
 Regional Centre for Training and Development in
Open and Distance Learning (RETRIDAL)

16. NOUN
 47 Study Centres spread across the country.
 The Registrar’s Office, The Human Resources Unit, The
Council Office, The Academic Registry, Staff Training and
Development,
 Directorate of Learner Support Services,
 Directorate of Examinations and Assessment, Directorate of
Media and Information,
 Directorate of Internal Audit,
 Directorate of Physical Planning and Development,
Directorate of Procurement,
 Directorate of Computing and Network Services,
Directorate of Legal and Protocol and Centre for
Educational/Technology Entrepreneurial Development
(CETED) in Kaduna.

17. NOUN
 From the above description of the University, it is very
easy to imagine the volume of registry activities that go
on within the University community in terms of
administrative functions that are required for the
smooth running of the University.
 The attendant effect of this is the huge number of
administrators – the junior, middle and senior cadre,
required for the requisite services.

18. NOUN
 It is therefore in the attempt to improve the skills of
these workers by developing them career-wise and also
to achieve effective and efficient delivery of services in
consonance with the mission and vision of the
University, that proficiency trainings on various
aspects of the administration are being adopted as a
model by the University

19. Some of the Proficiency
Trainings …
 Induction programme for administrative staff;
 A 2 day workshop on minutes/report writing for
Administrative officers;
 Skills Development Workshop for Administrative
staff;
 3 day on Skills upgrade workshop for
administrative officers anchored by Carol Girling –
Registrar of University of the North Manitoba,
Canada.

20. Some of the Proficiency
Trainings …
 Training/Workshop on e-Learning
 Training Workshop for Administrative staff on
general administrative functions;


21. 21

22. The eLP Group of participants
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23. 23

24. 24

25. 25

26. 26

27. Advantages
 There are a lot of advantages that can accrue to the
Administrative staff of the university where proficiency
training is adopted for the purpose of hands-on training
of the workforce considering the fact that skills
development is germane to the staff’s daily performance
of their functions within the university system.

28. Advantages
 a. It is an opportunity to assist administrators in the
university to brush up critical skills required in the daily
performance of their job schedules in whichever field
they belong.
 b. It puts in proper shape and perspective the mindset of
administrative staff - new recruits who are still learning
the ropes as well as experienced workers who have been
out of formal training for some time.

29. Advantages
 c. It helps to enhance the operations of the registry sections
of the university.
 d. It adds value to the final services offered through the
contributions and performance of administrative members
of staff of the University.
 e. It improves registry staff compliance and reduces the
costs of training.
 f. It enhances administrative service offering whilst not
having to invest in costly software.

30. Excerpts of comments from participants
 I really feel privileged to be a part of this. It
was very enlightening and really broadened
my understanding of the ODL. I hope for
more of this type of workshop
 Quite interesting and educative. I wish we
had more time to really deal better with the
different topics.
 The induction is well planned and quite
interesting and looking forward to attending
more seminars to broaden our knowledge for
better challenges ahead.

31. Excerpts of comments from participants
 The induction course was very educative and
interesting. Facilitators are to be commended for all
these. More of these be organised from time to time.
 This workshop on ODL has really broadened our
knowledge to knowing exactly what ODL (NOUN) is
and its objectives and the procedures to achieving
these objectives and what is expected from individual
staff toward attaining the objectives.

32. Challenges
 Funding/Cost
 Space/Logistics
 Time
 Resistance to change
 Role Conflicts
 Trainings too few and far apart

33. Coping strategy
 Collaborations/Partnerships
 Train the trainer
 Mentoring/coaching
 Staff movement

34. Finally…
 In conclusion, the discuss above has shown the
kind of impact which the adoption and use of
proficiency trainings could have on the skill
acquisition and skill development of the
Administrative staff of any university.
 Considering the comments of the participants
who attended the organised proficiency
training workshops used as catalyst of this
paper,
 it is obvious that the significance of proficiency
trainings to work performance of registry staff
cannot be over emphasised.

35. Finally…
 Therefore, taking cues from the robustness of
the training which should always be tailored to
satisfy the need for better and efficient
performance in the service delivery of the
Administrators
 that the trainings are handled by experts who
actually possess the technical knowledge of
planned proficiency trainings
 Best global practices that will add value to the
required services of University administrators
will be achieved and sustained.

36. Thank you for your attention
and valuable contributions
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