‘ITF Has Equipped 50,000 Youths with Employability Skills’

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos

As a way of tackling unemployment in the country, the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has implemented a number of skills intervention programmes that have equipped over 50,0000 Nigerians, especially the youths with skills for employability and entrepreneurship.

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Otumba Adeniyi Adebayo disclosed this in Jos.

Represented by Mr Yishawu Adepoju at the 2022 performance review and merit award ceremony at the ITF headquarters, the Minister said, “The Fund is one of the active and vibrant agencies under the ministry.”

 He expressed concern over the level of unemployment in the county, but commended the Fund for doing well  in tackling it by empowering youths with employability and entrepreneurship skills by engaging a sizeable number of them not minding their educational backgrounds.

Meanwhile, the Director General of the Fund, Sir Joseph Ari said that the fund has been at the forefront of the advocacy for impartation and employment of the Nigerian youth with requisite technical skills for industrialization and national development. And as a mark of the funds commitment, it has commenced the process of implementation for the skill Intervention Programmes for 2023 in all the states of the federation including the FCT.

He said that the fund convened the 2nd National Skill Summit in the year 2022 in order to review and re-focus the funds strategies for addressing the challenges. And part of the resolutions of the summit was the need to institutionalise National Apprenticeship and Traineeship System (NATS) in Nigeria. 

 Speaking on behalf of the Governor of Plateau state, Commissioner for Environment, Elisha Bitrus said the Fund has made Plateau and the nation proud through its innovative and entrepreneurship programmes which has helped in the reduction of unemployment in the country and the nation at large.