ITF trains, empowers 20,000 youths in vocational skills

ANDY ASEMOTA, Katsina

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has trained about 20,000 unemployed youths on vocational skills under its National Industrial Skills development Project (NISDP),  Director General/Chief Executive of the agency, Sir Joseph Ari, has said.

Sir Ari, represented by Dauda Lawal, Katsina Area Manager, disclosed this to newsmen in Katsina on the sideline of a two- day workshop organized by ITF in collaboration with Katsina State House of Assembly on information technology and office automation using information communication technology tools for senior staff.

According to him, no fewer than 500 unemployed youths had been trained and empowered this year by the ITF with starter packs in each of the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

He said the youths with passion for acquiring skills in different vocations were trained in electrical installation, fashion designing, plumbing, hair dressing, beauty care production, floor tiling, catering and events management among others.

Sir Ari added that empowering the beneficiaries had not only enabled them to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s economy but also helped in reducing the challenges of unemployment and jobs creation.

“As we speak, in Katsina State, we have trained over 500 youths, who were given stipends during training and starter packs at the end. Today, the nation produces millions of graduates and school leavers but how many can be offered white collar jobs?

“The idea of the project (NISDP) is that once the participants are trained, they will be able to start their businesses, provide job opportunities and  impart the necessary skills to others,” he explained.

The ITF boss further affirmed the commitment of his administration to upscaling the skills of the nation’s workforce and being a catalyst of growth in reducing Nigeria’s unemployment challenges.

On the Katsina Assembly and ITF collaboration, he said it’s imperative for all Nigerians, not only workers, to be computer literate and ICT complaint to reap the benefits of global information age.

For a better society

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