The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says it has spent N1.3 billion to clear the backlog of its Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) allowances since 2012 till date.

The beneficiaries are supervisors and students undergoing science and technology courses in tertiary institutions across the country.

Mr Joseph Ari, the Director-General (DG) of ITF, disclosed this on Wednesday in Jos, during its 2018 Annual Performance Review Meeting.

Ari added that the fund also empowered 350,000 Nigerians in 2018.

He, however, said that the SIWES had been plagued by delay in payment of students and supervisors’ allowances which was paid last in 2012.

The Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) is a skill training programme designed to expose and prepare students to industrial work situation they are likely to meet after graduation.

The ITF was established by Decree, now an Act number 47 of Oct. 6, 1971, to promote and encourage the acquisition of skills in commerce and industry with a view to generating a pool of indigenous trained manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the economy.

Ari said “We spent N1.3 billion in 2019 to clear backlog of unpaid allowances, we are optimistic that the gesture will promote the learning of vocational and technological skills of students during their various attachments.

“We also trained 350,000 Nigerians throughout 2018 on implementable programmes and other schedule and unscheduled programmes. ’’

He said that it paid more than N7 billion to 510 employers of labour as reimbursement between January to December 2018.

He said that it was the biggest payout by contributing to employers as reimbursement since its establishment.

He said that the ITF was awarded `star partner’ in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which boosted the initiation of more training programmes for 21,864 MSMEs operators nationwide.

The ITF boss said the review was important to ensure that the organisation achieved its corporate mandate and addressed challenges it encountered in the year under review.

It said that the review would also help the organisation towards better performance in the years ahead.

Earlier in her remarks, Mrs Adaeze Okonkwo, the Director, Corporate Planning Department of ITF, said the progress of the organisation was determined by the commitment of all staff.

She commended the management for the success recorded in 2018 and expressed optimism that greater achievements would be recorded in future.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ITF management and senior staff nationwide attended the meeting. (NAN)

Apr. 10, 2019 @ 12:01 GMT |