SUPPORT INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FUND TO ERADICATE UNEMPLOYMENT IN NIGERIA, DIRECTOR-GENERAL TELL STAKEHOLDERS
The organization Area Manager Mrs Olufunke Olorunleke while speaking on behalf of the Director said that tackling unemployment in Nigeria through skills acquisition cannot and should not be viewed as the sole responsibility of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and other agencies of the Federal Government alone.
Penpushing further reports that, the Director General stated that State Governments and other stakeholders should also contribute their own quota to eradicate unemployment in Nigeria.
The Director General added that the Fund interaction with the media will provide a veritable opportunity to keep stakeholders and States Government abreast of their activities and programmes using the media powerful tool for information dissemination because the media have played a critical role in facilitating and driving the achievements of the mandate of the Industrial Training Fund.
Hear her “The ITF was established on the 8th of October, 1971 by decree no. 47, as amended in 2011 with the mandate to among others provide, promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the private and public sectors of the economy”.
She reiterated further that cooperation and collaboration from all State Governments, the organise Private Sector, politicians and other stakeholders will critically be a solution to unemployment in the nation, adding that her organisation is open for collaboration in any aspect of human capacity development and vocational and technical skills training.
Penpushing also reports that, Olufunke emphasised that the State Governments and other stakeholders should sponsor additional trainee for skills acquisition programmes by payment of monthly stipend of trainees, payment of master craftsmen allowance and provision of start-up kits for the trainees.
“ITF has trained over 20 million Nigerians that are today meaning key sectors of the National economy from our skills intervention programmes which are accessible to all Nigerians particularly the youth, to our tailor made-skills acquisition and other direct training service that are implemented by our four Industrial Skill Training Centers (ISTC) and 38 Area office nationwide”.
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) boss said the agency has proved invaluable in sensitising Nigerians on its current efforts and that of the Federal Government to create job, reduce poverty and grow the national economy through accelerated skills acquisition, adding that 450,000 Nigerians are earning sustainable livelihood as paid employees or as entrepreneur that are even employing others, after two years of the implementation of the ITF review vision 2016-2022.
“Our fund re-articulated and refocused its activities with greater emphasis on skills acquisition in order to create jobs to reduce unemployment and breed a new generation of entrepreneur in order to transform the economic landscape of the country”.
Penpushing reports that, she however said that the intervention programme of the Fund has continued to contribute immensely to employment of Nigerian youth, noting that the intervention programmes had trained about 300,000 Nigerians that were all empowered with start up pack.
