The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has revealed that it has begun preparations to enrol an additional 100,000 participants in the next phase of its Skill Up Artisans Programme (SUPA).

In a statement yesterday, the ITF revealed that its Director General, Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz Ogun, expressed delight on the impact of the program in addressing Nigeria's skilled labour gap.

"Since its 54 years of existence, the Skill Up Artisan (SUPA) programme of the ITF is its most well-thought-out and impactful intervention to address head-on the problem of availability of skilled manpower to Nigerian industries.

"SUPA aims to aggregate existing and intending artisans in Nigeria by leveraging technology, ascertain their skill level, implement training to upskill these artisans, expose them to international certification examinations, and ensure they are connected to the real economy either through direct employment or placement in foreign jobs," he said.

According to the statement, the SUPA programme initiative is structured into three phases: Foundation, SUPA I, and SUPA II. While the Foundation phase introduces participants to the programme, SUPA I focuses on soft skills, including certification in Artisan Project Management, Artisan Health and Safety, and Artisan Ethics and Patriotism. The final phase, SUPA II, offers advanced technical and entrepreneurial training, along with certification exams from international bodies.

Dr. Ogun also announced that ITF is planning another round of assessments to increase the number of training centres from 800 to at least 1,500.

He also said discussions are underway with original equipment manufacturers to facilitate bulk equipment purchases for training centres.

"To ensure that the three exits into the larger economy identified under SUPA are fully activated, ITF has reached an advanced stage in its work with the Nigerian Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA) to link SUPA graduates with gainful employment in industries," the statement added.