The Director General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Affiz Ogun, has addressed coaches who manage artisans in their Skill-Up Artisans (SUPA) program in several Centers of Jos, the capital of the state of Plateau, to use local and English languages ​​to improve the understanding of students.
Dr. Ogun gave the directive by inspecting several training centers in the State of Plateau and also revealed that the new School Skills Academy of ITF Model will begin this September.
He pointed out that the Fund Model School Academy was aimed at promoting and inspiring Nigerian young people in skill development, and added that the idea was consistent with the objective of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promote formal education and the acquisition of skills to boost the economy.
He pointed out that the Academy will begin with the ITF Model School, Jos, where interested students, with the consent of their parents, will learn skills for two hours per day and three hours on weekends.
Dr. Ogun declared: “The Academy will begin in September. The regular school will conclude at 1:30 pm, and students will be transported to this place by our bus for two hours to learn one skill or another, and three hours on weekends. At this time, it is intended for students in JSS 1 and SSS 1.”
The general director also mentioned that the training will last two years, after which they will take international exams such as those carried out by City and Guilds, London and other related organizations to be certified internationally.
“We will take their parents; this is not a case or a child labor problem. When visiting countries like China, this is how they raise their children. We are not discouraging formal education; in the end, they would take the international test and WAEC and Neco,” he said.
Dr. Ogun, who declared that the Academy will be replicated in the six geopolitical areas of the country, added that before the students begin their training, they would receive professional guidance from professionals and academics.
He also disapproved in which Nigerian artisans traveled abroad without international certification, claiming that this sometimes underestimated them independently of their competence in their respective fields.
He explained that the skills artisans of the Industrial Training Fund (SUPA) encourage the use of standardization methods and practices, which are critical to operate in international markets, and that those who are in training are also taught patriotism and professional ethics, which will help them stand out wherever they go after training.
“We are not yielding in line with the mandate that the president gave us. At this time, the program is leading to international certification, where plumbers, welders and tailors, among others, have international certificates that no one can look at any part of the world. Where they go, especially outside the country, artisans have a unique character of sending money home; we are encouraging them to boost their skills.
“To achieve this, there are foreign certification agencies for skills artisans of the Industrial Training Fund (SUPA). These include City & Guilds of London, Q&A Technics and some others. And ITF has been approved as an exam center by City & Guilds to administer its international certification for Nigerian artisans, facilitate the export of talents and local employment.
“Then, with this, the federal government is empowering artisans with training promoted by technology, official licenses and access to essential tools kits, while promoting industrial standards to raise skills, improve crafts and boost professional excellence in all sectors.”
Therefore, he added that the idea of ​​certification was to transform Nigeria into an important exporter of qualified labor, which increases the foreign exchange of the nation.
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