The Industrial Training Fund (ITF), yesterday in Kaduna, said it had trained 13 vulnerable women on tailoring and fashion design.
The ITF Director General, Joseph Ari, disclosed this while speaking at a Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), saying that graduation ceremony for the 2019 trainees has been suspended until further notice. The suspension was in line with the directives of the Kaduna State Government to avoid any public gathering in view of the dreaded coronavirus currently ravaging the world, which may pose risk to residents.
Represented by the Kaduna State ITF Area Manager, Mallam Yahaya Manu, the DG said that WOSEP began in 2017 with 18 states, and has since spread to other states, including Kaduna.
“WOSEP commenced late 2017 with 18 states which form the first phase. This has since spread to other states in 2018 and 2019, one of which is Kaduna,” he said.
The DG added that the main objective of WOSEP was to equip vulnerable women with necessary skills for setting up and managing small scale businesses.
“We provide the women with employable skills that will assist them in becoming economically independent to improve their standards of living,” he said.
He said that Asian countries have transformed into technical giants because they placed skills acquisition on the front burner of their national development plans.
The DG reiterated ITF’s commitment to doing more and being at the forefront of wealth creation and economic diversification.
He called on Kaduna State Government, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) and Bank of Industries to monitor and support them with loans or grants in order to achieve the set objectives. (NAN)
