The Industrial Training Fund said it trained 50 youths in Information Communication Technology.

The Director-General of ITF, Dr Afiz Ogun, stated this on Wednesday in Jos, Plateau State, during the graduation of the 50 trainees.

Mr Ogun, represented by the fund’s Director of Corporate Planning, Suleyo Fred-Chagu, said that the training was done in partnership with National Employers Consultative Association (NECA).

He also said that the training was part of the ITF/NECA Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP) scheme.

The director-general said that no nation could progress in the 21st century without a workforce that possessed relevant skills.

He said that effective technical and vocational skills training constituted the platform on which adequate socio-economic development could be driven.

According to him, the ITF, in line with its mandate, has focused on promoting and encouraging skill acquisition and ensuring a skilled workforce.

He said that the programme would provide Nigerians with necessary skills and knowledge, thereby making them employable and self-reliant in a highly-competitive economy.

Mr Ogun urged the trainees to make the best use of the skills acquired and teach others for them to also be empowered.

Earlier, the ITF’s Head ICT, Tina Ula, said that the participants were trained in website development and design, computer maintenance as well as digital marketing and networking.

Mrs Ula also said that they underwent two months of practical and hands-on training and one month of internship.

She said that the trainees had been assessed both theoretically and practically to enhance their participation in the country’s economic space.

One of the participants, Joy Ogonna, commended the fund for the training, saying that she had been empowered.

Ms Ogonna said that the training would make her self-reliant and become an employer of labour in the nearest future.

(NAN)