Graduates of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme have been advised by the Industrial Training Fund’s Director General, Afiz Oluwatoyin, not to sell their start-up packs.

Oluwatoyin gave the advice at the graduation and distribution of start-up packs to 190 beneficiaries of the NISD on Thursday in Abuja, according to The PUNCH. The event, which was in partnership with the Nigerian Breweries Company, trained youths and women in skills such as Solar Power Installation, POP and painting, and others.

The DG, who was represented by the Director of the Technical and Vocational Skills Training Development Department James Abimbola, said that the 2023 graduation is part of the ITF’s initiative to support the Federal Government’s policy on job and wealth creation and to tackle unemployment and poverty in the country.

He said, “I want to use this opportunity to urge you, my esteemed graduates, to use this training to make a decent living for yourselves and your families and to be good ambassadors of the ITF.

“Do not think of selling the start-up packs that you will receive today as they are your ticket to the world and an opportunity for you to contribute positively to the Nigerian economy.”

The DG also said that the fund has plans to reform and modernise its training operations and to facilitate human capital development in line with global trends.

He said that the fund has made significant progress in training women and youths, but that there is a need to expand its mandate by using modern technology and creating a new culture that will make Nigeria a country with the most skilled people in Africa.

He said that the fund’s mandate of human capital development has led to the introduction of many skills intervention programmes to curb unemployment and poverty, promote entrepreneurship, and reduce youth restiveness in the country.

He said, “The National Industrial Skills Development Programme, which we are celebrating today, is a transformative initiative of the ITF that is implemented to speed up the achievement of the Federal Government policy on job and wealth creation. It focuses on skills acquisition to create jobs to reduce the high unemployment rate in the country and to produce a new generation of entrepreneurs to change the economic landscape of the country. I have been informed that the NISDP has equipped over 500,000 Nigerians nationwide with cutting-edge skills in various trades since its inception.

“Although the ITF has achieved a lot in over half a century of existence, the organisation in my opinion needs a new direction and focus for the policies and goals of the Tinubu administration to be achieved. You may recall that when I assumed office, I had emphasised the need for the ITF to become a catalyst for National growth by deepening its activities and their impact on the National economy through the expansion of access both locally and internationally to our unique resources and internal competencies.

“I hope to do this by using modern technology and creating a new culture that will make Nigeria a country with the most skilled people in Africa. In the next few weeks, we will unveil a comprehensive vision of what the ITF of the future will look like. In the meantime, plans are in motion to fully execute all targets of the Fund as set by the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment especially as they relate to the National Artisan Registration and Development Programme.”