The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) said its collaborative venture, the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP), initiated 12 years ago with the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), has successfully produced 54,603 highly-skilled technicians.
Director-general, ITF Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, made this disclosure during ITF-NECA TSDP Stakeholders Dialogue Forum and Outstanding Trainee Award ceremony yesterday in Abuja.
“The project today boasts of supporting fifty-nine (59) Participating Organisations and Technical Colleges with machinery and technical equipment which graduated 54,603 highly skilled technicians that are either employed in corporate organisations or have become entrepreneurs that are employing others,” he said.
Ogun, who highlighted the program’s resilience over 12 years, overcoming financial and socio-cultural challenges, added that the TSDP adopts the ‘brown-fields’ approach for the skill acquisition programmes, which entails leveraging existing facilities, including NECA member companies, ITF Industrial Skills Training Centres, and select federal and state technical colleges.
According to him, from its modest inception in 2010, involving six participating organisations and producing 285 skilled technicians, the TSDP has experienced exponential growth.
He said the program has not only been fostering employment but also nurturing a new wave of entrepreneurs, thereby contributing to the nation’s economic growth.
In his remarks, the director-general of NECA,Dr. Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, emphasised the critical need for skilled manpower in the country.
Painting a grim picture of global unemployment exceeding 192 million individuals, Oyerinde underscored the urgency of addressing this challenge.
He emphasised that with a National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report which put Nigeria’s unemployment rate at 33.4 per cent, there was the urgent need for proactive measures to equip individuals with skills demanded by the evolving job landscape.
In a commitment to sustained collaboration, Dr. Oyerinde pledged NECA’s pivotal role as a platform for private-sector employers to engage with the government and other relevant organisations.
He said this commitment reinforces the TSDP’s dedication to creating a lasting impact on the employment landscape, fostering a culture of innovation and skill development.
The event also featured the recognition and awarding of students who showcased exceptional performance during the 2023 ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Project.
