The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says 150,000 Nigerian entrepreneurs have so far benefited from its technical vocational skills programme to Nigerian entrepreneurs, which is a wealth creation project, within the past two years.
The key objective of the technical vocational skills programme was to accelerate technical vocational skills to Nigerians, while aggressively addressing service challenges, tackle infrastructural deficits, and create wealth through skills acquisition for Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, Joseph Ari the Director General of the ITF said the programme is part of his six-year vision he came on board with since assuming the saddle of leadership late 2016, which is expected to run till 2022.
The director-general said, “Two years into its implementation, I am pleased to say that, it has exceeded expectation by training over 150 000 Nigerians, who are today earning sustainable livelihoods as paid employees, or as entrepreneurs that are employing others.”
The key programmes where the entrepreneurs benefited, according to the director-general, include: “National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Passion to Profession Programme (P2PP), the skills Training Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenges (STEPP-C) and the construction Skills Empowerment programme, among others.”
Also speaking, the director-general said the Federal Government would train about 13,000 Nigerians in the five-month period to improve human capital development, wealth creation and skills for job component of Nigerians.
Further breakdown, the director-general said, “11,000 youths to be trained under the NISDP; 360 women under women skills empowerment programme; 75 youths in air-conditioning and refrigeration-training on wheels.”
He pointed out further that, “50 youths in Designing and Garment Making; 120 youths to be trained under the skills training and empowerment programme for the physically challenged people; 150 persons to be trained under the post-harvest Techniques and Project Development Programme.”
Accordingly, he noted further that,”150 persons to be trained in Aqua-culture/fish farming, 150 persons to be trained manure production; 150 persons to be trained in crop production and 150 persons to be trained in Poultry farming.”
It would be recalled that the ITF had in conjunction with the United Nation’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), conducted a National Skills Gap Assessment in six priority sectors of the Nigerian economy comprising of: Agribusiness, metal and solid minerals, oil and gas, construction, light manufacturing and services industry.
The report however indicated that despite rising unemployment rate in the country, 925 trades were either difficult or hard to fill in the country’s labour market.
The breakdown showed that 19.7% vacancies were in the housing sector, 13.9% in petro-chemical sector, 14.7% in other goods, 11.4 % in the auto industry, 10.3% in textiles, 10.1% in steel,8.9% in the services sector and 3.3% in the leader industry.
The reports also noted that 15.7% of all hard to fill vacancies were due to lack of technical skills, 11.8% due to basic IT skills; 9.2% and 7.5% of the vacancies were due to the lack of requisite soft skills.
The director-general said it is working closely with the organised private sector, to ensure that industry needs identified in the sector are holistically addressed through its technical, vocational and skills programme which offers hands on capacity for entrepreneurs according to 21st Century demands.
