Unemployment: FG trains 45,000 Nigerians on entrepreneurial skills

The Federal Government said 45,000 Nigerians were trained on various entrepreneurial skills in the last two years to curb unemployment in the country.

This was revealed by Director-General/Chief Executive of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari, during the unveiling of the Fund’s 2019 Skills Intervention Programmes in Abuja.

Sir Ari said the ITF has started the process of training another set of 18,000 Nigerians on 11 skills this year to reduce unemployment.

The ITF boss said the skills training became necessary considering the high unemployment and underemployment in the country that are partly responsible for violent criminality in communities.

He said the ITF, between late 2016 and 2018, trained over 450,000 Nigerians, 90 percent of whom are today in productive endeavours either as paid employees or as entrepreneurs that are even employing others.

Sir Ari said 11,000 Nigerians would be trained under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), 360 Nigerians on Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), 90 Nigerians on Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (Training on Wheels) and 90 Nigerians on Design and Garment Making (Training on Wheels).

He revealed that the training which will last between three to eight months, adding that 120 Nigerians will be trained under Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPP-C), 180 Nigerians under the Construction Skills Empowerment Programme (CONSEP), 150 Nigerians under the Aqua-Culture (Fish Farming), 150 Nigerians under Manure Production, 150 Nigerians on Crop Production (Green House Technology) and another 150 Nigerians on Poultry Farming.

“Our commitment to skills acquisition is premised on the fact that it remains the most viable and sustainable solution to rising unemployment and poverty that have continued to defy the best efforts of Governmental and non-Governmental approaches,” he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to support government’s efforts to create jobs and reduce poverty through skills acquisition rather than view it as the responsibility of the ITF and other Agencies of the Federal Government alone.

“The cooperation and collaboration of all State Governments, the Organised Private Sector (OPS), politicians and other stakeholders will be critical for a multiplier effect. Our doors are therefore open for collaboration in any aspect of human capacity development and vocational and technical skills training,” he said.