Ugar Ukandi Odey, JOS
Nigeria’s Industrial Training Fund, ITF, is currently in partnership with the Institute of Technical Education Services, ITEES, of Singapore as part of its drive and efforts to equip Nigerians with requisite entrepreneurial skills.
The ITF Director General, Sir Joseph Ntung Ari made this known while reviewing the activities and mileage of the Fund in spite of the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant lock downs and lackluster business atmosphere especially in 2020.
According to Ari, as part of its strategies not to yield to the arresting rave of the pandemic and continue to lead the industrial drive of this Administration, “the Fund entered into collaboration and partnerships with local and international organizations”.
Apart from the ITEES of Singapore, Ari said, currently, the ITF is in partnership with SENAI of Brazil, Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) in Israel, and the International Labour Organization (ILO).”
He also said the ITF is also in partnership and collaboration with the “United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Nigeria Employers Consultative Agency (NECA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry (BOI), the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), as well as the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA)”.
In the year 2020, he said the ITF also “entered into an MoU with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for up-skilling of serving cops members, explaining that the motive is to salvage “dwindling opportunities for white collar jobs,” saying the ITF believes that “equipping corps members with technical skills will prepare them for self-reliance after the NYSC programme”.
“The Fund also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development to train 23,130 youths in the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT under the Ministry’s Youth Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Programme in 22 trade areas”, Ari added.
