ITF trains 450,000 in catering, solar, others

Jos, Plateau State: The Industrial Training Fund has trained 450,000 Nigerians in different skills, officials say.

The agency’s National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) has equipped the trainees with skills in leather works (shoe and bag making), welding and fabrication, catering and event management.

Others are tiling, production and laying of interlock tiles, furniture making and domestic electrical wiring and installation.

The agency has also trained graduates and non-graduates in solar energy installation, plumbing and pipe fitting, as well as autogelle and beauty care for “employability and entrepreneurship,” Sir Joseph Ari, the ITF Director General told journalists in Jos, Friday.

“Our commitment to skills acquisition is based on the fact that it is the most proven solution to combatting unemployment, reducing poverty and youth restiveness in this country,” Ari said.

The latest batch of the trainees enrolled for three to six months in 2019, the agency’s boss said will be given “startup packs” to own their businesses at a closing ceremony fixed for February 10, 2020 in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja.

The ceremony will be repeated in all Nigerian states, he said.

Project commissioning

ITF, Mr. Ari said will from 20th to 28th February, 2020 commission projects executed across the country, to ease access to its services.

The projects according to him include Lagos Island Area Office complex, a 500 capacity library in Jos, a “mecharonics workshop” at its Industrial Skills Training Center in Kano and an Area Office in Kaduna.

SIWES Conference

ITF will equally hold its 14th biennial Students Industrial Training Experience Scheme (SIWES) conference in February.

This is part of efforts to improve the scheme – step up engagements with supervising agencies and other stakeholders to address some of the problems facing the program, Ari said.

SIWES according to him was set up by ITF to provide students of engineering, technical and allied disciplines with practical experience of “real work” situations.

National Skills Summit

The agency will equally hold a “National Skills Summit” in the first quarter of 2020.

The summit aims to serve as a platform to articulate “strategies and actionable steps” for developing employable skills to enhance job creation in Nigeria, Ari said.

Chief Executives of industries, policy makers and training officers will according to him gather to discuss this year’s theme, “Skills for Employability and Job Creation.”