Asaba, May 13, 2019, (NAN) A total of 300 Delta indigenes have benefited from the Industrial Training Fund (ITF)’s 2018 Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were trained for three months in event management and catering, aluminum fabrication as well as tiling & Plaster of Paris (POP) work.
The beneficiaries, 100 of whom were selected from each of the three senatorial district of the state, received starter packs to enable them to begin the businesses they were trained in.
ITF Director General, Joseph Ari, said at the closing ceremony in Asaba, South South Nigeria on Monday, that the 300 Delta indigenes were among the over 11,000 beneficiaries of the programme across the country.
Ari said NISDP was one of the ITF’s skills acquisition intervention programmes to facilitate the achievement of President Muhammad Buhari’s policy on job and wealth creation.
The Chief Executive was represented by Mr Zachariah Piwuna, Zonal Director, Curriculum and Research, ITF.
“This phase of the programme which was completed shortly before the 2019 elections trained over 11,000 Nigerians in various trades namely: welding and fabrication, aluminum, plumbing and pipe-fitting, tailoring, tiling, Plaster of Paris (POP) and photography.
“Over 300 indigenes of Delta State also benefited and were trained in various trades that were carefully selected based on their potential to directly impact the economy of the state and the country in general.
“Owing to our desire to fill the skills gaps identified by the ITF/UNIDO survey, our target this year is to vigorously work to equip Nigerians with lifelong skills in agriculture, construction, transport and services sectors,” he stated.
The director general said the survey identified the sectors to have great potentials for job creation.
The Governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa, stressed the need for the Nigerian youths to acquire skills, saying that the era of graduates waiting for white collar jobs was over.
Okowa, represented by Mr Onyisi Nkenchor of DeltaStep, said the state had various skills acquisition programmes which had trained thousands of youths who were now entrepreneurs across the state.
He advised the beneficiaries to be passionate about the traders and be focused in their entrepreneurship so as create wealth for themselves.
The governor reminded them that the starter packs given to them were acquired with tax-payers money and warned them against selling the packs.
“When you sell your starter pack, within six months, you will return to your former status of unemployed youth,” he cautioned.
He urged them to endeavor to upgrade their knowledge of the skills they acquired in order to excel.
A beneficiary, Justina Ifechukwude, on behalf of others, thanked ITF for the training and promised that they would utilise the skills to create wealth for themselves.
She noted that the beneficiaries were privileged to be selected for the three-month training and had no reason to slide back to state of unemployment.
Another beneficiary, Blessing Usoloma, who acquired skills in event management and catering, thanked ITF for the gesture.
Usoloma said that with the skills acquired and the starter pack, she would be fully engaged and hoped to make money for the family.
Mr Sampson Ali, who acquired skills on Aluminum fabrication, said he was happy because he was now equipped to earn a living and thanked the fund for the gesture.
