ITF launch international certification for artisans

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has launched an eight-week train the trainers programme, with 100 artisans participating, with the aim of raising Nigerian artisans technical manpower to international levels, by partnering senior artisans from the United Kingdom for this trainers programme

Director-General, Chief Executive Officer ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun explained that the programme is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to bring up

Nigeria’s artisans and technicians to world global standard.

The DG stated this at the launch of the programme in Abuja, noting that the initiative was part of the fund’s mandate to address unemployment, which involves equipping Nigerians with practical skills capable of making them competitive globally.

According to him, “The training involves trainers from the United Kingdom designed to equip participants with technical, teaching and assessment skills that will enable them train other artisans and assess workers across Nigerian industries, the programme was not designed merely to issue certificates of participation but to provide participants with internationally recognised qualifications.

He said, “The trainees will obtain three qualifications at the end of the eight-week programme, including Trade Level 3 certification, teaching and training certification and assessor certification, adding that ITF is training the trainers here. It is expected that participants would undergo examinations at the end of the training, as certification without assessment would undermine the quality of technical training”.

“These participants would subsequently be deployed to industries to assess workers’ existing skill levels, certify them accordingly and establish targets for further professional development”.

He said they will have two or three qualifications. One, the trade level certification, Level Three, the teaching and training certification and the assessor certification. This will enable the trainers to train others and also access the organization work in industries while setting targets for them.