The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has launched the framework for National Apprenticeship and Traineeship System (NATS), which is designed to reduce unemployment in Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch of the NATS on Monday in Abuja, the Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari, explained that if the framework is implemented, it has the potential to drastically reduce unemployment in the country, while also affording Nigerian youths the opportunity to earn income while learning.
Ari explained that the framework would enhance youths’ eligibility for financial assistance while on training, and also engage a sizeable number of youths since the apprenticeship does not require formal education as a prerequisite.
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He said: “I believe that with this launch, we are steadily evolving measures and gaining appreciable traction in our collective efforts as Governments, Agencies and partners to effectively deploy skills acquisition as a vehicle for combatting unemployment, reducing poverty and for overall growth and development of our dear country, Nigeria.
“In addition, a functional National Apprenticeship and Traineeship System will ensure a structured approach to skills acquisition and certification leading to an increase in the number of MSMEs and the expansion of existing ones, a reduction in unemployment, underemployment, social vices and crime rates, and improvement in the quality of services of Technicians and Craftsmen.
“Above all, enriching the National Apprenticeship and Traineeship System with international certification for the various vocational trades will promote balanced employment and competition amongst our youths, just as it will serve as a viable source of foreign earnings for the country through the export of skills.
“Our optimism on the potential of NATS to change the employment situation in Nigeria is premised on the fact that countries such as Germany, China, Austria, the USA and others that at various times faced similar challenges as we are contending with today completely altered their situations with greater investments in skills acquisition and apprenticeship training.
“For instance, in Germany, about two decades ago, in the face of mass unemployment with roughly five million unemployed people and low employment rates to the extent that it was labelled “the sick man in Europe”, it opted for apprenticeship training.
“Today, nearly two-thirds of young Germans are enrolled in apprenticeships once they leave full-time education using the German Dual Vocational and Educational Training (DVT).
“Nine out of ten young trainees get a permanent job at the end, with others being offered shorter-term contract. Today, Germany is dubbed a job wonderland and European champion with regard to its high employment rates.
“Borrowing a leaf from these success stories and taking into account our youth unemployment, which has continued to be on the rise and coupled with our commitment to the realisation of the objectives of the National Youth Employment Plan (NIYEP) 2021-2024 that is targeted at finding solutions for young people that are seeking decent and productive jobs, the ITF came up with a new Strategic Policy Direction 2022-2025 with the theme: Re- Engineering Skills for Sustainable Development.”
To realize the mandate and aspiration of ITF, Ari called for more synergy and collaboration from all critical stakeholders involved in Technical and Vocational Education and Training(TVET), adding that the Agency was already collaborating with Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA)under the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP), where 55,000 Nigerians have been trained.
He further revealed that ITF is in collaboration with several other organisations including Skills4Prosperity in its quest to institutionalise NATS in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Mr. Olatunde Adekola, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank, said the Bank has provided $200million to Nigeria under the Bank’s assisted education project tagged, “Innovative Development for Effectiveness and Acquisition of Skills.”
Adekola said the offer was as a result of the request of the Nigerian government to the Bank for support in technical and vocational education, adding that the funding would support some of the Federal Technical Colleges across the country.
He noted that the implementation of the programme was for four years, adding that technical and vocational education is one of the ways to overcome unemployment in the country.
