The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is to establish 37 Industrial Skill Training centres, to be located in the six geo political zones. Prof. Longmas Wapmuk, the Director General of ITF, who disclosed this to NAN in Abuja, said the fund had also concluded plans to train 37,000 youths in different skill acquisition.

He said the plan was part of efforts to address the shortage of skilled manpower in the country. NAN reports that ITF was established to promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce.

This is with a view to generating a pool of indigenously trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the private and public sectors of the economy. Wapmuk told NAN that the centre would open National Apprenticeship Scheme (NAS) for training of young entrants and other skill workers.

The director general who said the fund had already established three centres in Ikeja, Kano and Jos, hinted that the agency in collaboration with ITEE, Singapore. also established a model skill training centre in Abuja. He said "the centre in Abuja runs training programmes in faculty technology, electrical/electronics, ICT, Mechatronics and Culinary".

According to Wapmuk, the agency is also floating a skilled manpower development programme initiated under a collaborative association with the Nigeria Employers' Consultative Association (NECA). The project, he said, is tagged: "Technical Skills Development Project" (TSDP). He said the ITF is also developing job specification documents and at the moment, training 110 staff of the Dangote Cement Group in a long-term one year programme.

He said the agency is also coordinating and sponsoring a National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), which has taken off in 10 states of the federation under its first phase. The ITF, he said, is also training 10,000 youth. He said a total of 30,000 young Nigerians are expected to be trained in diverse trade areas of the economic sector as identified by research efforts.(NAN)