Over 14 million Nigerians trained by ITF, says Acting DG

Acting Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dickson Onuoha, has said the Fund has trained over 14 million Nigerians whose contributions to the overall growth of the country are immeasurable.

Onuoha stated this in Jos in his welcome address during the visit of the House of Representatives Committee on Industry of the 8th House of Representatives visited the ITF headquarters in Jos.

He said the ITF especially in the last few years, has embarked on several initiatives and strategies designed to equip Nigerians with technical skills for employability and entrepreneurship‎.

Onuoha said: “Our renewed emphasis is premised on the fact that any credible effort at poverty eradication, Job creation and an effective diversification of the economy as envisioned by the federal government will not meet with the required success if Nigerians are not trained.

“In the last few months, especially with the coming of incumbent management such efforts have been heightened. As a foremost skills acquisition institution in the country that is vested with the mandate of equipping Nigerians with skills, the management has commenced series of initiatives and strategies and expanded existing ones including setting in motion processes for the establishment of sector skills, councils to provide opportunity for evaluation/ validation of skills requirements at the National and state levels on a periodic basis expansion of the Technical Skills Development Project, a Joint programme with the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to train 50 youth per centre through the Brown Field Model using existing training centres of the organised private sector.”

The DG also said, “Training centres and also training of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) to fast track their reintegration into society, systematic upgrade of the Funds computer network facilities to serve current resources requirements and the establishment of revenue collection and reimbursement portals.

“Similarly, arrangements have reached advanced stage for the take – off of the 5th phase of the National Skills Development Programme (NISDP) in 18 states of the country and Abuja, while the second batch of the training shall be conducted in September 2016 for the remaining states.”
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He also appealed for some legislative backing on some issues affecting the fund.

According to Onuoha, “The students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) that is managed by the ITF but funded by the Federal government and has been instrumental to the development of human capital in the country is currently assailed by numerous challenges including under appropriation, which has led to the non – payment of some participating students and supervisors as the arm of government vested with the function of appropriation. We are appealing for the support of the committee for adequate budgetary allocation for the scheme.”