The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is seeking the inclusion of skills acquisition programmes in the Nigerian primary and secondary education system as a means of grooming the skilled workforce in the country.
Speaking in Abuja, on Thursday, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari, stated that unemployment is on the rise in Nigeria, adding that, “white collar jobs are in short supply or not even available.
“Every year, universities and other high Institutions turn in graduates thousands and there are no jobs for them, it is a time bomb.
“Is like ITF has been the lone voice in the desert. But we shall continue to shout, we will not stop. There is a need for us to change the educational system of Nigeria in order to imbibe skills in our youths right from the kindergarten level.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
“We have said this over and over again, when you want the young population to embrace skills as a profitable endeavour, you catch them young by introducing skills training to them right from a tender age.”
He regretted that most youths in the country find skilled work dirty because they didn’t come in contact with it early enough in life. “When these young people grow through primary and secondary with skills into the University, it will become difficult for them to depart from it.”
Ari called on the media to help in sensitisation of the need to include skills acquisition programmes in the Nigerian O-level education system. “We need to change the narrative in our educational school curriculum for our young people to embrace skills acquisition” stating that having a skilled workforce is paramount in the task of reducing unemployment in the country.
Also speaking, the Director General of the National Employment Consultative Association (NECA), Mr Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, acknowledged that a skilled workforce drives the economy of developed nations.
He said it was important that ITF and NECA work collaboratively to expand industrial training programmes for the benefit of Nigerians.
“Our country is faced with huge challenges and we need to join hands together to tackle them.
“We have an unemployment rate of about 33 per cent and when you add the under-employment rate which is about 20 per cent, then we know that it has become imperative to deepen our collaboration, particularly in the area of the TSDP programme,” he stated.
FG Pays N289m To 74 Victims Of Police Brutality
ITF seeks inclusion of skills acquisition programmes in Nigerian O-level education system
Oil prices have continued to slide, hitting a four-year low in April of under $60…
The Oyo State Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (OY-RAAMP) has awarded contracts totaling N3.5…
The Police operatives attached to Neni Divisional Headquarters in Anoacha local government area of Anambra…
(TETFund) for the North Central zone, Engineer Nurudeen Adeyemi Balogun, has lauded the Kwara State…
The Federal Government has flagged off a Marine Safety Sensitization and Life Jacket Distribution project…
A Non-Governmental Organisation under the auspices of De-Lace International in collaboration with Tukur-Tukur Foundation has…
This website uses cookies.