The Organised Private Sector (OPS) says there is an urgent need for the Federal Government to back efforts at deepening skills and knowledge transfer by creating alternative sources of funding for the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).
This was the outcome of a day NECA/ITF interactive session with the OPS on the challenges with the interpretation of the ITF amendment Act 2011, held in Lagos on Tuesday.
The ITF among other tasks, in collaboration with the private sector is engaged in training and retraining skill and unskilled labour for industries, self-sufficiency and economic empowerment of people.
Olusegun Oshinowo, director-general of NECA, said there was a need for the government to contribute towards funding the ITF, as the body could no longer survive on private sector funding alone.
“All it requires is further funding from government; fund coming from the private sector cannot be enough, and the demand on ITF based on what stakeholders know in terms of its capabilities is enormous, and there is no way ITF will be able to respond to them if there are no better sources of fund,” he said.
According to Oshinowo, the ITF has come a long way with the capacity to serve as a training institution to empower Nigerians with skills and competencies. However, the ITF cannot survive only on contributions from private sectors to train Nigerians to acquire skills.
“Government have to put some fund there to broaden their capacity base on expertise acquire over the years and experience to train more Nigerians. Government cannot just say private sector fund should be utilised for training public sector manpower – it cannot work. Funding must come with capacity,” Oshinowo said.
Joseph Ari, director-general of ITF in response to the OPS, said, ITF would continue to play its role in building capacity of Nigerian workforce.
“We assist employers of labour to see where we would focus our energy in continuing our role to serve as a compass to employers of labour in areas where they need to feel in the gap,” Ari said.
According to Ari, the interface, midwife by NECA, was necessary to deepen knowledge among the OPS about the workings of the ITF.
“NECA understands the two sides of the coin; it understands ITF and the OPS, because it is the umbrella body of the OPS. So, what NECA has done is to bring us together to discuss and harmonise, and you can see that today we have risen from this meeting with a clear understanding of our role play, so it is for better and greater synergy between the two groups,” Ari said.
“Everything that has been discussed, issues that have been raised, will be addressed for the understanding and benefit of all parties,” he said.
