ITF Trains 12m Nigerians In 41 Years

The Industrial Train ing Fund (ITF) says it has trained more than 12 million Nigerians since inception 41 years ago.

The Director-General of the fund, Prof. Longmas Wapmuk, stated this in Awka, at an interactive session organised by the ITF Awka Area Office for chief executives of organisations.

Our correspondent reports that ITF was established in 1971.

Wapmuk noted that those who had been trained had contributed immensely to the economic growth of the nation, pointing out that the development of technical and vocational skills had become critical key to the realisation of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

The D-G explained that there was the need for collective efforts towards appropriate training to ensure skilled labour force.

“In assessing the progress of any nation, the question today is no longer how much the nation is producing but how much the individual is able to develop his or her full potential,” he said.

Governor Peter Obi, represented at the occasion by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Oseloka Obaze, observed that Nigerians were fast losing interest in vocational skills.

He called on the fund to be committed to its mandate until Nigeria emerges as a manufacturing nation.

The Head of Service (HOS) in the state, Mr Chidi Ezeoke, stated that many Nigerian graduates were not employable as those employed do not often make meaningful contributions in their places of work.

Ezeoke, who decried the deplorable level of practical skills, urged ITF to adopt advocacy and enlightenment programmes to ensure economic development of the country.

Earlier, the ITF Area Manager in Awka, Mrs Linda Egwuonu, commended the state government and other employers of labour for supporting the organization and appealed to those who are yet to contribute to the ITF to do so without further delay.

The Tide reports that the interactive session offered participants the opportunity to share experiences as well as to update their knowledge on the mandate of ITF.