The Industrial Training Fund has screened over 450,000 intending artisans across Nigeria for its flagship Skill-Up Artisans programme, aimed at boosting skills development and job creation. The exercise marks a major step in the government’s plan to empower Nigerians with practical and entrepreneurial skills.
According to the Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, the programme will prepare participants for training in 24 skill areas. These include ICT, fashion design, plumbing, electrical installation, masonry, and hospitality services. He explained that the initiative is designed to reduce unemployment, curb social vices, and promote financial independence among young Nigerians.
Dr. Ogun urged individuals and organizations to partner with the Industrial Training Fund to establish and equip vocational training centres nationwide, saying this support is crucial to achieving the programme’s goals. Participants expressed optimism that the Skill-Up Artisans initiative will create new opportunities for employment, innovation, and wealth creation across different sectors of the economy.
Addressing the challenges, Nigeriastartupact.ng previously quoted Dr. Ogun saying, “One of our biggest challenges is the inadequate number of centres. We are not going to onboard trainees to shops in markets or makeshift spaces. They will be trained in state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the right tools because they will be sitting for internationally recognised certification exams.”
He spoke to journalists during the screening exercise at the Industrial Training Fund Vocational Training Centre in Jos, which attracted thousands of applicants eager to participate in the nationwide empowerment programme.