‘Skill Up’ Trainees Sit For City & Guilds Mock Exams Nationwide

In preparatory to the final examinations leading to certification by City and Guilds International, thousands of selected trainees of the Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) Programme yesterday sat for City and Guilds mock examinations across the Country.

According to the ITF Director of Standardisation and Certification Department and Co-ordinator of the mock examinations, Mrs Olayinka Shodunke, said the selected trainees who were chosen based on their excellent performance in both the theoretical and practical components of the SUPA training, sat for the exams in 34 City and Guilds-approved Centres and ITF Area Offices nationwide.

A statement issued in Jos by the acting director, press and public relations, Tom Ngor, further disclosed that the test covered 9 trades: Welding and Fabrication, Plumbing and Pipefitting, Scaffolding, Waiter, Electrical Installation, Auto mechanic, Carpentry, Cyber Security and Housekeeping.

Shodunke added that City and Guilds International will schedule the final exam dates after completing the assessment of the mock scripts.

Meanwhile, during his visit to several examination centres, the Director-General of the ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, expressed appreciation to City and Guilds for its partnership with the Fund.

Dr Ogun described the examinations as a clear demonstration of the ITF’s firm commitment to ensuring that SUPA graduands are equipped with internationally recognised certifications, noting that this would enable them to compete effectively against their peers from any part of the world.

The DG also announced that implementation of the 2026 phase of the SUPA programme would commence in the coming weeks, following the screening of participants conducted in December 2025.

He stated, “You may recall that in the last quarter of 2025, we conducted a screening of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who registered online for the programme nationwide.

Although not all applicants can be onboard simultaneously, due to the limited number of centres equipped to SUPA standards, we remain committed to training as many Nigerians as possible under the programme, in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

The DG urged Nigerian youths who have not yet registered for SUPA training to do so in order to acquire skills that will enable them to compete both locally and internationally.

In addition to City and Guilds, the DG disclosed that the ITF is in advanced discussions with Alberk QA Technic and other international certification bodies.

These efforts, he said, are aimed at ensuring that Nigerians who complete SUPA training receive a range of internationally recognised certifications.