The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has declared that in the year 2018 it paid over N6 billion as reimbursement including full payment for annual training contributions, training of workforce across all cadres, presentation of evidence of training, acceptance of students on SIWES to a total of 510 companies.
This effort is regarded as the biggest payout in a calendar year in the history of the Fund since its establishment in 1971 which is a demonstration of its commitment to continue to reimburse its contributors provided they meet the criteria for the payments.
Also as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s job creation efforts, the Fund has trained over 4,000 indigenes of Bauchi State on skills acquisition in order to stem the spiraling unemployment in the country.
This was disclosed by the Director-General /Chief Executive Officer of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari at a press briefing/Retairnership Exploratory interface with Bauchi State chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), held on Tuesday at the Comrade Sule Shehuwa Secretariat of Medical and Health Workers Union in Bauchi.
Joseph Ari who was represented by the Bauchi/Gombe Area Manager, Richard A. Baba further disclosed that a total of 3,800 indigenes of Bauchi State have so far benefitted under the National Industrial Skills Empowerment Programmes (NISEP), while 100 were trained under the Skill Empowerment Programme for Youth in Construction (CONSEP).
He also disclosed that 30 of them were trained under the Women Skill Empowerment Programme (WOSEP) while no fewer than 100 benefitted under its INFOTEC Skills Empowerment Programme (ISEP) stating that the beneficiaries are “today in paid employment or are successful entrepreneurs.”
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He disclosed that the NISDP, STEPP-C, WOSEP programmes would be expanded occasionally so that more Nigerians can benefit from them.
Ari added that: “As a result of our achievements, particularly with skills acquisition programmes, the ITF was presented with an award by the Presidency as a star partner in Micro Small and Medium Entreprises (MSMEs) to showcase the fact that the ITF is on the right track.”
He assured that ITF’s commitment to skills acquisition for job creation has not distracted it from performing in key areas like Research and Curriculum Development, reimbursements and development of key infrastructure adding that in order to to expand existing facilities for more Nigerians to benefit from the programmes, work was accelerated on a number of infrastructural projects which have either been completed or are at various stages of completion.
The DG also explained that the Fund has trained a total of 300,000 Nigerians that were all empowered with start-up packs boasting that, “I am pleased to note that most of the beneficiaries are today in the paid employment or are successful entrepreneurs.”
He then called on state governments and other stakeholders to sponsor additional trainees for the Fund’s skill acquisition programs because such sponsorship will entail payment of monthly stipends to the trainees, payment of master craftsmen courses fees and provision of start-up packs to the trainees.
Earlier in his remarks, the NUJ Chairman in the state, Ibrahim Mallam Goje, thanked ITF for the gesture and appealed that such trainings should be extended to Journalists to enhance their journalisms skills.
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