ITF to Train 13,000 Youths

Ugo Aliogo

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to train 13,000 Nigerians across the country in 11 vocational skills.

This is in line with the ITF’s renewed effort to equip Nigerians with skills in accordance with its mandate and ensure the achievement of federal government’s policy on job/wealth creation.

The Director-General, Joseph Ari, who was disclosed recently in Jos while addressing a meeting of Area Managers of ITF Area Offices and Managers, explained that the declaration was informed by the growing realisation that accelerated skills acquisition was the only way to address rampant unemployment, especially among the youth.

Ari, who declared 2018 as a year of delivery, said the implementation of the programmes would start on various dates between July and August and end in November.

He said governments across the world have turned to skills acquisition, which is the universal currency of the 21stt century, to arm their citizenry with skills for employability and growth.

The DG listed the skills programmes billed for implementation to include the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPC), Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, and Designing and Garment Making.

Within the same period, he said five other training programmes, including Post-Harvest Techniques and Product Development, Aqua-Culture/Fish Farming, Manure Production, Crop Production/Greenhouse Technology and Poultry Farming, that are aimed at equipping farmers with the requisite skills for improved farm yield will be implemented using the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) Model.

Ari said: “The emphasis on skills for the agricultural sector was informed by the fact that it is the occupation of majority of Nigerians and a key component of the economic diversification agenda of the federal government.”