The Plateau Governor’s wife, Mrs Regina Lalong, has commended the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for training 1,000 youths in its National Industrial Skills Development Programmes (NISDP).
The governor’s wife, gave the commendation, at the Pankshin during the graduation ceremony the 30 trainees of the ITF’s Passion to Profession (P2PP).
She disclosed that 4,850 teachers were also employed by the state government in 2018.
Lalong said the 1000 youths, who benefited from the ITF programme, have reduced the number of unemployed youths in the state.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries of P2PP, who are from the central senatorial zone, were trained for three months, on pattern drafting and garment making skills.
Lalong said that 1,000 youths were trained on different skills acquisitions including tailoring and fashion design; welding and fabrications and plumbing and pipe fitting.
“The State government also sponsored additional youths for the training.
“In 2018, we engaged 4,850 ad hoc teachers as permanent staff in Plateau and we are currently conducting recruitment for workers in the state civil service as well.
“I urge beneficiaries of the P2PP to be employers of labour in their various communities and not to sell the starter packs donated to them,” she pleaded.
Lalong also commended the ITF for conducting capacity building workshop for over 200 teachers and constructing two boreholes in Hwolshe and Rantya communities as part of its corporate social responsibility.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Joseph Ari, the Director-General of ITF, said that P2PP was conceived as a special intervention programme to create more jobs in line with the Federal Government’s Policy Directives on economic development.
The DG, who was represented by Mrs Lami Dakwak, the Director, Technical and Vocational Skills Training Department of ITF, said that unemployment have increased the act of violence, criminality and social vices in the society.
“Over 450,000 Nigerians including women and people with disabilities, have benefited from our training programmes since 2016.
“We want to double this figure this year so that we can reduce unemployment and social vices caused by idleness,” he said.
He urged the trainees to step down the training in their communities and be change agents through their contribution to economic growth in Plateau.
Miss Gabriella Jacob, one of the beneficiaries of the scheme, thanked ITF for empowering them with skills and equipment to start up their businesses.
She said that the training had made them self-reliant as entrepreneurs and would reduce the impression of white collar jobs as the only source of income in the society.
NAN reports that P2PP, which was first implemented in 2017, had trained 140 Nigerians and empowered them with industrial sewing machines and pattern design machines.
NAN further reports that the beneficiaries were trained using mobile training units to facilitate implementation of the programme in rural communities (NAN)
