ITF pays over N1b to Students, SIWES in 2021, DG Ari, says  

By Kingsley Chukwuka

The Director General, Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Sir, Joseph Ari, has said in the year 2021 the Fund paid a total sum of 1,195,990,000 to students under the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES), in Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

Ari said the scheme is the brainchild of the Fund given its integral role in the training of Students of Engineering, Technology and other allied disciplines in the tertiary Institutions.

The DG stated this Wednesday in Jos, during the annual Merit Award Ceremony, for the 2021 category, tagged: Actualizing the ITF Mandate in A VUCA World”.

Given a breakdown of the figure, Ari said said a total of N961,860,000.00 was paid to 64,124 University students and N162,920,000.00 was paid to 16,292 Polytechnic students, while the sum of N71,210,000 was paid to 7,121 students of Colleges of Education, he said.

Ari also said as part of efforts to equip Nigerians with skills in ICT for them to exploit the numerous opportunities existing in the sector, the Fund implemented the Infotech Skills Empowerment Programme (ISEP), which is aimed at providing youths with specialized ICT skills and empowering them with emerging ICT skills to enhance their employment opportunities.

He said 520 people who benefited from the programme, were drawn from Benue, Gombe, Delta, Katsina, Osun, Ebonyi, Plateau and the FCT,  and were equipped with cutting edge skills for employability both locally and internationally, by enrolling them for appropriate Professional Certification such as CISCO Advanced Computer Networking Certification (CCNA), Computer Networking Certification (CompTia N+) and Computer Hardware Maintenance and Repairs (CompTia A+).

“Also, as a proactive and dynamic organisation and in response to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund in the preceding year, automated most of its business processes, which made it easier for us to conduct our operations.

“Aspects of our business processes that were automated includes, the ITF E-Pay portal, Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions, IPSAS Compliant Financial System, Self Service Portal, Procurement System, Payroll System, Comprehensive Human Resource Management System, Career Module, Computerised Retiree Pension System, General Service Module, and Computer- Based Testing”.

The DG said other aspects that are undergoing perfection in the automated system include: the ITF Legal Work Flow and Case Management System, Stock and Inventory Management System, Document Management System, SIWES System, Fixed Asset System, Corporate Databank and Planning System, and Reimbursement System.

In his remarks, the Minister, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Richard Adebayo said the Industrial Training Fund is a crucial agency that the Federal Government cannot ignore in the strategy designed to grow the nations economy.

Adebayo said it is crucial to always seek for more partnership with the Fund as it remain one of the leading agency in the development of human capital.

Represented by the Director, Policy Planning Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Alh Ndakoko Mohammed,  Adebayo said the Federal Government expects more from Agencies such as the ITF as it strives to grow the National economy and resolve other challenges that are confronting the country.

According him: “Of great concern to the Federal Government is the need to urgently address the rising tide of unemployment and poverty in the country today. It is in this regard that the Federal Government recently unveiled several initiatives including the National Development Plan (NDP), 2021-2025.

“The Government believes that for these programmes to be fully achieved, organisations like the ITF have a vital role to play, especially in the area of human capacity development for Nigerians”, he said.