NAN-HE-18
Skills
By Franca Ofili
Abuja, Jan. 17, 2017 (NAN) The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says it will focus on the provision of employable skills to 17,275 youths in areas where Nigerians have comparative advantage in 2017.
The Director-General of the fund, Mr Joseph Ari, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
Ari said the fund carried out needs assessment taking into cognisance the identified sectors for industrialisation as captured in the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan document and strategic framework for job creation.
Cue in audio (Ari)
“From the first week of February 2017, we’ll commence the training of 1,700 youths using existing farms as training centres in collaboration with financial bodies in 24 pilot states covering the six geo-political zones.
“In construction, the fund intends to equip Nigerians areas, 3,700 Nigeria will be provided with employable skills in welding and fabrication, reinforcing metal works, domestic electrical installation, carpentry and joinery, tiling, masonry, block and bricks making.
“In the services industry sector, the ITF has already put in place training of 3,700 Nigerians in 17 vocational trade areas.
“The ITF also will provide 3,000 graduates of tertiary institutions with employable skills under the graduate up skill programmes in collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps.
“The ITF will provide 750 youths with employable skills using the OPS.
“The Industrial Skills Training Centres will train 7,425 highly skilled youths in 15 trade areas.’’
Cue out audio
He gave the areas the youths would be trained as agro-allied, construction, services, ICT and digital jobs, metal and solid minerals, light manufacturing and oil and gas.
He said for the 45 years of existence, the fund had equipped more than 14 million Nigerians with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
Ari said this year would be a year of performance adding that the fund will develop a road map that would give a clear focus on its mode of operation.
He said progress was made with the Model Skill Training Centres (MSTC) adding that the fund had secured ministerial tender board’s approval for the procurement of all outstanding equipment in some of the trade areas.
Ari said the issue of MSTC gave ITF fund a negative image adding that on assumption of duty in September 2016 he tried to tackle the issues.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that trainees of the Industrial Trust Fund (ITF) in December 2015 staged a protest over lack of accreditation and other vital training equipments in the school.
Ari said the fund secured approval of training programme from the Federal Ministry of Education on the issue of National Diploma Certification.
He said the fund has secured approval from the National Board for Technical Education in respect of the National innovative diploma.
“This is aside the National Institute of Technical Education Certificate which graduands of the centre are also entitled to, in line with the partnership of ITEES of Singapore,’’ Ari said.
He said classes would commence in February with a September, 2017 dateline for graduation. (NAN)
FNO/LAB/YEE
Edited by Lydia Beshel/Emmanuel Yashim
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