ITF offers skills training to 300 women, youths in Kaduna
NAN-H-51
Graduation
By Mohammad Tijjani
Kaduna, Feb 14. 2018(NAN) The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has offered skills training to 300 women and youth in Kaduna State under its National Industrial Skills Development Programme.
The Director General of ITF, Mr Joseph Ari who made the disclosure at the graduation of the trainees on Wednesday in Kaduna, said the beneficiaries were among the 11, 000 trained nationwide in 2017.
Ari who was represented by Mrs Igbeyi Abike ITF Director, Business Training and Development, said the training was on tailoring, fashion design, welding and fabrication, plumbing and pipe-fitting among others.
“It is our contribution to the Federal Government’s policy of job and wealth creation and poverty reduction.
“We equip as many youth as possible with employable skills and entrepreneurship.
“We have taken the programme further from merely training and equipping the youth with knowledge and skills, to providing them with start-up packs to enable them set up their own businesses.
“The decision to provide the packs was informed by tracking and monitoring of trainees of earlier phases.
“We discovered that those supported with start-up packs, 90 percent of them went on to become successful entrepreneurs or even employers of labour,” he said.
Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufa’i pledged to work with the ITF to empower the youths become self reliant.
The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Mrs Ruth Alkali, said skills acquisition was key to employment creation in any society.
“As such the government is always ready to partner with both public and private organisations that are willing to support the state in such endeavour.’’
He urged the beneficiaries to reciprocate the huge government investment on them by running successful businesses and employing others. (NAN)
TJ/MZA
Edited by Maharazu Ahmed