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Tag: ITF

  • ITF to graduate over 5,300 trainees on special skills

    ITF to graduate over 5,300 trainees on special skills

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to graduate and present start-up packs to over 5,300 Nigerians under its 2023 special skills intervention programmes.

    The graduation ceremonies will take place between 13th November and 24th November, 2023 across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Read Also: ITF lauded for cultivating reading

    According to a statement by Fund, Director of Communication, Suleyol Fred-Chagu, State Governors will be special guests at the events in their respective States while the Minister of the FCT, Dr. Nyesom Wike, and the Minister of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI), Dr. Doris Anite Uzoaka will be the special guest and distinguished guest respectively at the National closing ceremony in Abuja.

  • ITF lauded for cultivating reading

    ITF lauded for cultivating reading

    Prof. Vicki Lawal of the University of Jos has praised the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for ensuring reading culture in the workforce environs through its Library Week celebration.

     Prof. Lawal, who is also a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa, made this known during the fund’s 16th Library Week celebration.

     The event with the theme: The Dialectics of Knowledge Management in a Globalised Age,”was held  in Jos, lamented the poor reading culture among Nigerian students.

     She praised the ITF for organising and consistently sustaining its library week for the past 16 years, while also giving out gifts as motivation for staff and users to cultivate a reading culture.

    Read Also: Wike storms court as Tribunal reserves judgment in Cole’s petition against Fubara

     According to her, “In the university today, we are struggling to encourage our students, who are constantly on social media to cultivate a reading culture. I think we should borrow a leaf from the ITF to encourage reading for our students, by making them use the library to read.

     She noted that there was the urgent need for organisations to establish knowledge management systems to remain relevant, especially in a highly globalised age, as organisations are supposed to work towards harnessing their tacit and explicit knowledge for the purpose of remaining relevant, competitive and progressive.

     The ITF Director- General, Sir Joseph Ari, who was represented by the Director of Field Services Department, Mrs. Adetola Aje, noted that the ITF Library Week was an event organised by the fund to cultivate reading culture among Nigerians and to celebrate the invaluable role that librarians and library workers play in the lives of individuals and organisations.

  • ITF trains 450,000 on skills acquisition

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has trained more than 450,000 Nigerians in skills acquisition programmes for employability and entrepreneurship between 2016 and 2018.

    Its Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari, disclosed this in Abuja at a news conference where he presented the ITF 2019 Skills Intervention Programme.

    According to Ari, 90 per cent of the trained Nigerians are in paid employees or entrepreneurs.

    “There is no doubt that unemployment has wrought a terrible damage on all facets of our national life. No reasonable analysis will divorce unemployment from the needless incidences of violence that have claimed thousands of lives nationwide.

    “It will equally be difficult to separate rising criminality and harmful social vices that are being perpetrated by Nigerians because of unemployment and attendant poverty.

    Read Also: Centre trains 836 women in skills

    “Consequently, our population that ordinarily should be our resources has become an albatross because we cannot provide a greater proportion of our population with a source of livelihood,” he said.

    He said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report of last quarter of 2018 revealed the level of unemployment and increase in employment between 2017 and 2018 in the country.

    “The number of Nigerians without jobs between fourth quarter of 2017 and third quarter of 2018 increased from 17.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 20.9 million in the third quarter of 2018.

    “This is despite the fact that the number of people in employment increased from 68.4 million in the third quarter of 2015 to 68.72 million in the third quarter of 2016.

    “It also increased from 69.09 million in the third quarter of 2017 to 69.53 million in the third quarter of 2018,” he said.

    According to him, the statistics are scary and staggering and should be a source of worry. He added that the Federal Government had made tremendous efforts to create jobs as reflected in the increased number of the employed as cited in the NBS report.

  • ITF: 20.9m Nigerian youths unemployed

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) yesterday said 20.9million  youths are currently unemployed.

    It blamed the development on lack of skills acquisition and  advised  the unemployed to go for skills acquisition instead of depending on white collar job.

    It said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report stated that between the fourth  quarter (Q4) of 2017 and Q3  of last year, said this is in spite of the fact that the number of people in employment increased from 68.4 million in the Q3 of 2015 to 68.72 million in Q3 of 2016 to 69.9 million in Q3 of last year.

    ITF said what the report indicated is that although government efforts to creating jobs may be having impact, the number of unemployed is still on the rise.

    It is also estimated that Nigerian tertiary institutions produce up to 500,000 graduates every year with only a fraction able to secure employment.

    The Director-General, ITF, Joseph  Arii, who spoke  during an interface with stakeholders on strategies for job creation by the  government  in Abuja, said President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has made tremendous efforts to create jobs as could be seen in the number of people employed as cited by the NBS report.

    Read also: Skills acquisition not preserved for illiterates – ITF Boss

    He said:  “Today, across the length and breadth of the country are visible evidence of government’s efforts to get Nigerians engaged. From Social Investment Programmes such as N-Power initiative, Tradermoni, Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP) and Home Grown School Feeding Programme to the numerous skills acquisition programmes being implemented by agencies like the ITF, the government has done enough to be applauded.

    “ITF has for instance equipped over 450,000 Nigerians with life skills and empowered all the beneficiaries with start-up packs within the last two years. “Over 80per cent of this number today are earning sustainable livelihoods either in paid employment or successful entrepreneurs who are employing others.” The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Industry, Trade and Investment, Sunday Akpan said President  Buhari has strengthened the resolve to stem rising unemployment by creating jobs through the provision of employable skills for our teeming youths.

    It is on this basis that the ministry urged ITF to come up with revolutionary multi-faceted job wealth creation strategies that would lead to a lasting solution to this hydra-headed problem.

  • ITF disburses start-up packs to 10,000 graduates

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) yesterday disbursed start-up packs to 10,000 grandaunds through the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) in order to reduce unemployment rate in the country.

    The NISDP focus is to facilitate the achievement of President Muhammadu Buhari’s policy on job and wealth creation. It focuses on skills acquisition to create jobs to stem rampant unemployment and breed a new generation of entrepreneurs to transform the economic landscape.

    The programme has so far equip over 150,000 Nigerians with  skills for employability and entrepreneurship.

     

     

  • NECA seeks support for ITF

    The Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called on the Federal Government to fund the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to enable it fulfil its mandate of empowering Nigerians.

    Noting that the government has not fully utilised the enormous capacity of ITF, NECA argued that the fund could not survive only on contributions from the private sector to train Nigerians to acquire skills.

    NECA’s Director-General Segun Oshinowo made this appeal at an interactive session with the organised private sector (OPS), on the challenges of the interpretation of the ITF Amendment Act 2011, in Lagos.

    Oshinowo said the government must finance the scheme to broaden its capacity given the expertise it has acquired over the years to train more Nigerians.

    “Government cannot just say private sector contribution should be utilised for training public sector manpower, it can’t work. Funding must come with capacity, there is a huge gap there for an institution that have come a long way that has built expertise, that has experience, all it requires is further contribution from government.

    “Funds coming from the private sector cannot be enough and the demand on ITF based on what stakeholders know in terms of its capability is enormous, and there is nowhere we would be able to respond to them if there are no other sources of fund,” he said.

    Among other issues raised at the meeting, Oshinowo said NECA would set up a committee with ITF to look at some of the issues as regards payroll contribution and come up with a definition to sum the basis of the collection to be taken from employers.

    On his part, the Director-General of ITF, Joseph Ari, called for effective collaboration towards improving the trainings and skills that could be exported to earn the country Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

    While ensuring that reimbursement of claims is not delayed, he said the scheme in 2017 paid over N2billion to over 1,000 companies.

    To bridge the skill gap, Ari said ITF will assist employers of labour to serve as a compass as well as continue to play its role in building the capacity of the Nigerian workforce.

    “There is a need work together to harmonise the issues of training and skills, where with the huge population of Nigeria, skills could be exported to earn FDIs. Imagine a population without skills leading to negative vices witnessed in the country today. Time has come for all of us to really join force to improve on trainings and skills of Nigerians,” Ari said.

  • ITF empowers 11,000 youths

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has said it has, in the last one year, empowered over 11,000 youths across the country.

    The scheme is under ITF National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

    Director General of ITF Joseph Ari said this in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital at the closing ceremony of the women skills empowerment programme (WOSEP) of the fund.

    Sir Ari  added that “we took 300 youths in every state of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

    The programme is finishing in December. What we did last year was to identified three trade areas. If we continue like that slowly and steadily we will get to the destination point.”

    The DG said that Nigeria needs hands-on trade to match its booming population, saying that “our own situation is even more dangerous than ever based on the fact that our population is booming by the day. A booming population without hands-on trade will bring about restiveness, kidnapping and all the vices in the society will escalate.

    “The population of the country is exploding by the day and if we do not empower the people with hands-on trade then we are in trouble.

    There is no nation that can grow without hands-on trade.

    “Paper qualification will not take us far. In other nations of the world who have had paper qualification they had to fall back on skills development and so such countries are today regarded as the developed nations of the world on account of skills.”

    On WOSEP, the director general of ITF said that “in the first phase, the programme was implemented in 14 states of the federation as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and trained 30 women each.

    Plateau, Kano and Borno states government, however sponsored additional 350 and 100 trainees respectively.

    “In all, a total of 483 women were trained for three months and empowered with start-up kits in various trades including event management, cosmetology, tie and dye, hairmaking, food processing, tailoring and fashion design, poultry farming, bead making, bakery and pastry. Others are domestic electrical installation, soap/detergent and disinfectant making.

    “In this phase that is coming to a close today, 360 women drawn from Akwa-Ibom, bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Oyo and Yobe states were trained for three months in tailoring and fashion design.”

    He warned the trainees not to contemplate selling the start-up packs, adding that they cost the ITF millions of Naira.

  • ITF trains 120 physically challenged on skills acquisition

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF)  has trained 120 physically challenged persons from six states on skills acquisition.

    They were drawn fromTaraba, Bayelsa, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Osun and Plateau states. The physically challenged were also trained on making foot-wears, repairing phones, making lady’s wig cap, manual clothes design and embroidery.

    While speaking at the graduation ceremony for Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPP-C) in Kaduna, ITF Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari said the training was to empower the physical challenged people in the society.

    According to him, the training will equip them with skills to strengthen them socially and economically.

    “The graduation today of these trainees is our first step in this regard. It commenced in August this year with 120 participants from the states.”

     

     

  • Unemployment: ITF to expand training facility

    •Gets pass mark from Senate for judicious use of funds

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) plans to expand its training facility amid its commendation by the Senate Committee on Industries for utilising funds allocated to it to execute projects to curb unemployment.

    The Committee Chairman, Dr. Sam Egwu, gave the commendation during its oversight tour of ITF projects and facilities in Lagos.

    Egwu was accompanied by Senators Barnabas Gemade, chairman, Senate Committee on Works and Housing, and Jibrin Barau, chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND.

    The projects included the Industrial Skills Training Centre in Oregun and new Ikeja Area Office on Oba Akran being renovated, as well as its nine-storey edifice under construction at Iponri.

    Egwu said the visit was pursuant to the committee’s oversight responsibility as spelt out in Sections 88(1) and (2), 89(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

    He said: “The purpose of this oversight visit was to conduct an assessment on the level of budgetary implementation by the Fund, particularly the 2017/18 appropriation.

    “This visit will allow the committee to identify areas that require more attention in the upcoming 2019 budget visa-vis performance, appraisal of 2018 Budget, respectively.

    “We want to commend the management of the ITF for judicious use of funds to execute projects that are in line with providing manpower development for our nation.

    “The committee is satisfied with the quality of the ongoing projects and their levels of completion.”

    Egwu, however, urged the Federal Government to provide more funds for the Fund to enable it expand its training programmes to accommodate more Nigerians.

    Egwu assured the ITF management and staff of the committee’s continuous support and cooperation to actualising the agency’s mandate, particularly in legislation and appropriation of funds.

    Earlier, ITF Director-General (DG), Sir Joseph Ari, said the ongoing projects in the agency were geared towards creating more avenues for training of Nigerians, stressing that the agency was integral to the Federal Government N-Power programme.

    Ari emphasised that skills acquisition and entrepreneurship were pivotal to curbing unemployment and poverty in Nigeria, hence the focus being placed on it by the ITF.

    “We want to equip and empower Nigerians to have skills. That way, the economy will be boosted and all our people will be properly engaged,” he said.

    Ari said ITF had seven locations in Lagos State: Ikeja, Apapa, Isolo, Lekki, Badagry, Victoria Island and Lagos Island, where youths are being engaged in various skills acquisition programmes.

    He said the training programmes include: Automobile Engineering; Electrical Engineering; Welding and Fabrication; Information and Communication Technology; Refrigeration; Fashion Designing as well as Plumbing and Pipe Fitting.

    The DG also said the Lagos Island Area Office at Iponri, whose construction commenced in 2007, would be completed by February 2019.

  • ITF to prosecute firms for declaring false account statements

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to prosecute companies that declare false statement of account to reduce payment of one per cent from their total yearly income as training contribution, its Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Dr Joseph Ari, has said.

    Companies, he said, avoided paying the required contribution by declaring three different financial accounts – one to management, another to shareholders and another to ITF- contrary to the law.

    Ari spoke at a meeting with representatives of higher institutions and contributing employers in Lagos, under the theme: “Indigenous human resource development in Nigeria”.

    He accused the companies of a crime, adding that the fund was synergising with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to work out a solution.

    He said the fund provided for refund of up to a maximum of 50 per cent of the amount paid by an employer as re-imbursement for training expenses and those with delays are those who submit wrong information to it.

    “ITF as a body is interested in equipping workers with skills and our provisions are designed to encourage employers of labour to train their workforce across all cadres.

    “To qualify for reimbursement, contributing employers are expected to be up to date in payment of training contribution, train their workforce and meet all requirements as contained in the reimbursement guidelines,” he stated.

    Ari said ITF related with employers and institutions of higher learning in Nigeria in training, re-training and bridging the gap between what  students learn in school and what they are expected to do in the work setting after graduation.

    He said the training institute has been able to equip more Nigerians with skills, as its artisans training done, in conjunction with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and the 36 states with the Federal Capital Territory, was a success with the provision of starter packs to them.

    “More states have  added to the number we train as they have seen the benefit and our investigation from the monitoring and tracking process showed that 90 per cent of artisans have successfully set up their businesses with the starter packs provided to them, which is a big plus for the scheme”, the ITF boss added.

    He said there was an arrangement with the Joint Admissions, and Matriculation Board (JAMB), where artisans under it could be admitted to 200 level in tertiary institutions after their training. This was to further their education, which would give them a chance to get a degree and further reduce unemployment in the country.