By Franca Ofili

Mr Joseph Ari, Director-General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), said the Fund trained 19, 100 youths on the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) in 2016.

Ari told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday that the mandate of the fund demanded the  provision of adequate skilled manpower to drive the nation’s economy.

“We were able to train 10,100 youths in the first batch while 9,000 in the second batch of NISDP in 2016,’’ he said.

Ari said that NISDP was a product of Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP).

According to him, the youth were trained on fashion and garment making, GSM repairs, generator repairs, fish farming, poultry production, welding and fabrication and domestic electrical installation.

He said that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises were globally acknowledged as the oil required to lubricate the engine of socio-economic transformation of any nation.

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

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 market place.

He said that the fund devised a holistic approach to the provision of employable skills for job and wealth creation in the areas where Nigeria had  comparative advantage.

Ari said the areas were agro-allied, construction, services, ICT and Digital jobs, metal and solid minerals, light manufacturing, oil and gas.