The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), in line with its mandate of developing the nation’s human resources, is set to commence its 2022 implementable skills intervention programmes involving 6,000 Nigerian beneficiaries.
The Director-General of the Fund, Mr Joseph Ari, disclosed this in a statement signed by Mrs Suleyol Fred – Chagu, the Fund’s Director of Public Affairs Department, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos.
Ari said the objective of the training was to gainfully engage as many Nigerians as possible with skills for employability and entrepreneurship and to tackle the challenges of unemployment and poverty.
The DG said the programmes earmarked for implementation were the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPP-C).
He said the programmes were expected to train about 6,000 Nigerians for a period of three to six months in various trades such as tilling and laying of interlocking blocks, solar power installation, aluminium fabrication and others.
Ari stated that apart from the NISDP that would be implemented in all the states including the FCT, the other programmes would be shared among the states.
“The decision as to which state benefits from a particular programme is based on the likelihood of participants to eke out sustainable livelihoods because of the needs of the state for such particular skills,” he said.
Ari said preliminary activities such as the screening of participants and selection of training centres had commenced, and implementation of most of the programmes would commence in July.
He appealed to Nigerians to support government’s efforts in creating jobs and in turn, reduce poverty through skills acquisition rather than viewing it as the sole responsibility of the Federal Government. (NAN)
