100,000 artisans take ITF’s SUPA exams

The Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, on Wednesday said the Fund will drive skills advancement in the country as 100,000 artisans sit for examination under its Skill Upgrading and Professional Advancement (SUPA) programme. Speaking during an inspection of trainees writing examinations in Abuja, he said the Fund had planned […]

The Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, on Wednesday said the Fund will drive skills advancement in the country as 100,000 artisans sit for examination under its Skill Upgrading and Professional Advancement (SUPA) programme.

Speaking during an inspection of trainees writing examinations in Abuja, he said the Fund had planned three exit options for the SUPA beneficiaries with the first being “talent export,” designed to bring foreign exchange and technology back into the country. 

He added that it is crucial because “Countries such as China and India had adopted similar models, and the ITF is not afraid to send Nigerians under 35 abroad. These artisans working overseas often remit about $80 out of every $100 earned and many later return to establish businesses at home,” he said

The DG explained that the second exit option is business incubation, under which the Fund will support trainees who show promise after their training.

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He noted that ITF had stopped giving out start-up banks because some beneficiaries misused them.

On raising standards, he said the agency partnered with the Chartered Institute of Project Managers of Nigeria (CIPMN) to certify artisans.

He explained that trainees were sitting for project management exams because “when you give training without an exam, you have not done anything.”

The Registrar General of CIPMN, Henry Mbadiwe, said the collaboration was to strengthen the workforce. 

 

 

 

“Our partnership with ITF is to ensure Nigeria’s workforce is not just skilled but certified,” he said.

 

 

 

“With project management skills, artisans can plan better, manage risks, and reduce waste, which will make them more efficient and effective,” he added.