Industrial Training Fund ( ITF) and
the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have began a
sensitisation meeting for the establishment of Sector Skills Council in the
country.
Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are
employer-led organizations that cover specific industries to support employers
in developing and managing apprenticeships standards; to reduce skills gaps and
shortages and improve productivity; to boost the skills of their sector
workforces and to improve learning supply.
Acting Director General of ITF, Mr. Dickson Onuoha at a meeting n Abuja
yesterday, said SSCs should be established in order to identify and strategise
the training requirements in the country. Onuoha noted that for Nigeria to
sustain an inclusive and sustainable industrial development, it is imperative
for the country to establish the sector skills councils to address the
challenges poised by unemployment. “Establishment of SSCs is crucial to the
industrialisation and sustainable socio-economic development. This cannot be
achieved without the collaboration of all relevant organisations” “Skills gaps
cannot be adequately identified without the establishment of functional sector
skills councils.
This is why we are here today. It is
important to note that skills development is central to developmental
initiatives of any nation. Without adequate planning and effective delivery,
resolving employment crises will not be possible while strategic plans will be
difficult to implement” “The SSCs will serve as the basis for government’s
investment in skills development in Nigeria, since it will assist in
identifying skills requirements, skills availability, skills gap and skills
mismatches in demand and supply.” He noted that creating employment is
imperative in order to address challenges militating against the country’s
citizens.
Occupational standards “SSCs aim to achieve those goals by developing
an understanding of the future skills needs in their industry, and contribute
to the development of national occupational standards.
The design and approval of
apprenticeship framework and the apprenticeship standards and creating sector
qualification strategies.” He stated that involving ITF in funding the Sector
Skills Councils is not feasible because as he said, ITF has its mandates to
achieve and 50 percent of the one percent training levy goes into running our
operations and the remaining 50 per cent is refunded to employers. Mr. Simon
Armstrong, Senior Industrial Skills Adviser of UNIDO urged the federal
government to harness the potentials of youths by investing in their training.
“Most youths in Nigeria have the required qualifications, but lack the relevant
skills for sustaining development in Nigeria. It is essential to have these
youths trained to acquire the relevant skills.” According to him, skills is the
bedrock of every country’s economy, stressing that “UK has 19 sector skills
councils; sector skills Councils are also used in South Africa and Singapore to
improve skills and occupational standards but Nigeria has none.” “In UK
government is funding their operation by spending £1.4 million yearly.
In Nigeria the Industrial Training
Fund, ITF, might use the 1 per cent training levy from employers for this
purpose and move to become a Skills Funding Agency,” he said. Lending a voice
to the SSCs, Executive Secretary of National Board for Technical Education
(NBTE), Masa’udu Kazaure said the country has all that it takes to establish
the SSCs. Kazaure remarked that the federal government can fix the industrial
skill gap in the country for sustainable development. Dr. Chuma Ezedinma,
National Programme Officer, UNIDO, said that Sector Skills Councils globally
are employer- led organisations that covers specific industries in their respective
countries and urged OPS Nigeria to drive the establishment of the councils to
reduce the skills gaps and shortages and improve productivity and to support
employers in developing and managing apprenticeship standards.
By Favour Nnabugwu
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