ITF DG Vows To End Reliance On Foreign Artisans

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has commenced an eight-week training programme for 100 artisans and trainers as part of efforts to raise the standard of Nigerian technical manpower to international levels.

The training, which involves trainers from the United Kingdom, is designed to equip participants with technical, teaching and assessment skills that will enable them to train other artisans and assess workers across Nigerian industries.

Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, who made this known in Abuja on Monday, said the programme was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to develop Nigeria’s artisans and technicians to meet international standards.

Ogun, who spoke at the commencement of the programme, said the initiative was part of the fund’s mandate to address unemployment by equipping Nigerians with practical skills capable of making them competitive globally.

He said the programme was not designed merely to issue certificates of participation but to provide participants with internationally recognised qualifications.

According to him, the trainees will obtain three qualifications at the end of the eight-week programme, including Trade Level 3 certification, teaching and training certification, and assessor certification.

He said, “We are training the trainers here. You are trainers, and we are training you to go out there and train others.

“When we selected you, we selected some from ITF because we have trainers in these trade areas, and we also selected from the master artisans on the streets of Nigeria. Some of you did not know that your name would come out. You just saw your name.”

Ogun said the participants would undergo examinations at the end of the training, stressing that certification without assessment would undermine the quality of technical training.

He said the participants would subsequently be deployed to industries to assess workers’ existing skill levels, certify them accordingly and establish targets for further professional development.

“You are going to have two or three qualifications. One, you are going to have a trade level certification, Level Three. You are going to have teaching and training certification and assessor certification,” he said.

“You will now be responsible to train others, then to assess our workers in Nigeria factories and industry.

“You will assess them. You will know what level they are right now on their job. You certify them for that, and you set targets for them. Next year we are coming back. You should know this, this, this and this, so that you can attain this qualification.”

The ITF boss said the programme would extend beyond artisans working independently, noting that workers already engaged in manufacturing and other industries would also be assessed and upgraded.

He said the initiative was particularly important because foreign artisans and technicians were increasingly coming into Nigeria to fill technical skills gaps, while many Nigerian workers remained unemployed.

Ogun said the Federal Government was determined to reverse the trend by ensuring that Nigerian artisans and technicians acquired globally competitive skills.

He noted that ITF had commenced the process in 2024 and was continuously improving its technical and vocational training programmes.

The training also includes practical instruction by UK-based trainers, who said participants would be expected to replicate the skills acquired by training others.

One of the UK trainers said the programme would help create a sustainable workforce capable of improving standards across Nigeria’s technical and vocational industries.

He commended the trainees for their commitment and willingness to learn, saying they had demonstrated the work ethic required to benefit from the programme.

He said the participants had been provided with the necessary tools and equipment, adding that their commitment and active participation would determine the success of the programme.

The trainer said the trainees would also learn from one another by practising and teaching their colleagues, describing the approach as an important part of their teaching and assessment qualifications.

He said the ultimate objective was to enable the participants to take the skills into Nigerian industries, assess existing standards and contribute to improving the quality and safety of technical work.

The eight-week programme is expected to culminate in internationally recognised qualifications rather than certificates merely acknowledging participation.