SUPA: ITF Screens 15,000 Artisans For Vocational Training In Plateau

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) nether the Federal Government’s Skill-Up Artisans Programme (SUPA), has commenced the screening of 15,000 artisans successful Plateau State aimed astatine equipping Nigerians with vocational and method skills for self-sustenance.

The screening exercise, held astatine the ITF Vocational Training Centre successful Jos, Plateau State, attracted thousands of applicants, seeking to enactment successful the nationwide empowerment scheme.

The Director-General of ITF, Dr. Afiz Ogun, portion addressing the artisans, said the screening was important to identifying genuine applicants and ensuring due placement into suitable grooming centres.

Ogun, represented by the Director of Technical and Vocational Skills Training, Mrs. Nancy Ekong, urged authorities governments to found astatine slightest 3 well-equipped grooming centres successful their states to enactment the programme.

“We privation to surface the artisans. We bash not cognize who they are oregon whether immoderate of these applications were done by proxy,” Ogun explained, stressing the request for carnal verification.

He said the SUPA programme offers grooming successful 24 commercialized areas, including accusation and communications exertion (ICT), tailoring, plumbing, electrical installation, hospitality, among others.

“We privation to instrumentality arsenic galore radical arsenic imaginable disconnected the streets and springiness them fiscal independence,” the DG said. “For Plateau alone, we are screening 15,000 artisans wrong this period. We person our officers crossed each section governments of the state, and akin exercises are ongoing successful different states of the federation.”

Ogun noted that 1 of the large challenges facing the bureau was the shortage of modular grooming centres, appealing to some authorities and backstage individuals to put successful modern facilities.

“One of our biggest challenges is the inadequate fig of centres,” helium said. “We are not going to onboard trainees to shops successful markets oregon makeshift spaces. They volition beryllium trained successful state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the close tools due to the fact that they volition beryllium sitting for internationally recognised certification exams,” helium said.

He added that specified certifications would heighten the employability and competitiveness of Nigerian artisans some locally and internationally.

“We are looking for centres with due tools, equipment, and a conducive learning environment. Look astatine the fig present successful Plateau—over 15,000 artisans—and akin numbers are being screened crossed the 36 States and the FCT. Without capable centres, we volition person problems,” helium said.

“We are appealing to governments to assistance physique prime grooming centres with the indispensable equipment. If each authorities tin supply astatine slightest 3 centres for cardinal trades, it volition marque implementation easier,” helium added.

Our analogous gathered that the screening workout successful Plateau State would past for 2 days.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Skill-Up Artisans Programme is portion of the Federal Government’s broader inaugural to empower Nigerians with vocational skills, trim unemployment, and beforehand inclusive economic growth.