The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Kano centre, in collaboration with the Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has injected 48 fresh ITF certified graduates into the economy after twelve months of intensive training.
The graduands most of whom are university graduates were trained in various skill sets across the Nigerian industrial sector with a view to mitigating the level of idleness and unemployment common among the youth population.
Addressing the graduands on Wednesday, the Director General and Chief Executive ITF, Sir Joseph N. Ari emphasised the need for Nigerian youths to look beyond university degrees alone and seek for vocational training even after their studies for self sustenance and job creation.
He described skill set as the “The currency of 21st century” arguing that many graduates are unemployed today because of lack of entrepreneurial skills.
“Skill is the currency of 21st century, if you look at what is going now the people that keep life going are the people that have skills. We have so many graduates that studied very lucrative courses both in sciences and humanities, but as good as these courses are, opportunities are not there for them in the labour market as such a lot of them are unemployed; but there is no way you can have a skill and be redundant. It gives you something you can live” he argued.
Represented by the Director Research and Curriculum Development, Mr. Zacharia John Piwuna, the ITF boss disclosed that since inception of the programme about ten years ago, over 100, 000 youths from the 36 states of the federation were trained in different trades.
He said over 80 percent of ITF graduates are currently working in various capacities, contributing to the economic development of the country.
He therefore appealed to the government to expand the scope of its investment in human capital development by establishing more technical and skill acquisition centres to cater for the nation’s growing population.
The District Head of Gwale, Danmajen Kano, Alhaji Yahaya Abdullahi Abbas who was the chairman of the occasion commended the facilitating agencies for investing in manpower development of the state stressing that it is a right step towards addressing the menace of social vices in the state.
He urged the graduands to utilize their skills judiciously for their personal development and Nigerian economy in general.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to our reporter expressed appreciation to the facilitators, promising to be good ambassadors of the scheme.
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