Mr Joseph Ari, the Director-General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says 100 youths will be trained in sewing, garment making and management consultancy.

Ari said this in Abuja at the opening of the first batch of the “20 Train the Trainees’’ workshop.

He said the fund was emulating the Brazilian model which uses mobile workshop to train its youths.

Ari said it was one of the special intervention programmes to drive the Nigeria Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

He said the mobile workshop was introduced in the country in 2013 and was not put into use until he assumed office.

Ari said that the fund had designed strategies to enable it achieve its mandate through the use of mobile workshops.

According to him, the fund has engaged Style House, a Fashion Creative Consulting Agency in Nigeria with years of experience in the fashion industry to carry out the training.

He noted that the training would last for three weeks, adding that participants would be expected to learn all the practical aspect of it.

The training according to him will be in five batches.

“This training will go a long way in creating jobs as well as reduce restiveness among the youth,” he said.

Ari advised the participants to take the training seriously so that they could be employers of labour in future.

He said that ITF was ready to provide dynamic and proactive services aimed at achieving its mandate in line with government agenda.

Ari said that the development of industrial skills was one of the most critical issues being faced by Nigeria presently.

He added that the emphasis on skills development globally was increasingly on employable skills as the practical requisite and immediate skills needed by companies in the labour market.

One of the participants, Ms Yinka Ayeni said the programme would enable them to create employment and cater for their families.

Ayeni called on government to do more of such trainings for Nigerian youths to prevent them from engaging in ant-i-social vices.

Another participant, Caroline Ogunsulire advised youths to engage in skills acquisition rather than seeking for only white collar jobs.

Ogunsulire expressed the hope that they would be provided with starter pack to help them establish their own businesses.

She commended ITF for the gesture and promised to utilise the opportunity given to her for the benefit of her family and the society at large.

The Special Adviser to the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Mr Tola Johnson said the training was in line with government’s effort at job creation.

Johnson said such partnership would go a long way in achieving the country’s quest for youth employment.

He called on other agencies to do same in order to reduce the unemployment rate in the country.

Johnson said that ITF had done well in the area of MSMEs clinic initiative.

He said that the project would serve as a “One Stop Shop” to address challenges faced by small business owners in the country by providing opportunity for them to meet with the industry regulators. (NAN)

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