UNIDO urges OPS to establish skills councils in Nigeria
By Franklin Alli
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, has called on the Organized Private Sector in Nigeria to move the country forward by investing in skills development.
UNIDO said that the OPS can do this by taking the lead in the establishment of Sector Skills Councils to improve employment and boost the skills of employees like the ones in the UK and South Africa.
Dr. Chuma Ezedinma, National Programme Officer, UNIDO, made the call when he addressed the private sector stakeholders in Lagos on the gains of Sector Skills Councils to employers and the overall economy of the country.
The meeting was attended by over 45 members of the private sector drawn from the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, MAN, Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NASME and NACCIMA including key players in the construction, petro chemical and automotive industries, cement , Miners Association as well as the cotton, textile and garments industry.
Dr. Ezedinma said that Sector Skills Councils globally are employer- led organisations that covers specific industries in the 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.
In his presentation on Sector Skills Councils, Mr. Simon Armstrong, Senior Industrial Skills Adviser establishment of sector skills council in Nigeria, also urged the country’s private sector to come together and form the Skills Councils in various sectors without delay and not to wait for the government to do it.
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.”
Fielding questions from the participants on funding, he said that the private sector should pool their resources together to fund the SSCs and they can also approach Federal and State governments for initial seed money support. “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.
Mr. Dickson Onuoha, Acting Director General of ITF, also enjoined the stakeholders to be ready to contribute their quota to realize the establishment of the Sector Skills Councils. “Your organisations have always been in the forefront of the advocacy for socioeconomic advancement of Nigeria.”
He disclosed that ITF in collaboration with UNIDO is conducting industrial skills gaps assessment to identify skills requirements, skills availability and skills mismatch in the Nigerian industrial sector.
He disclosed that ITF in collaboration with UNIDO is conducting industrial skills gaps assessment to identify skills requirements, skills availability and skills mismatch in the Nigerian industrial sector.
Sector skills councils
“The supply side of the study is almost concluded while the demand side is still ongoing. Findings from the supply side of the study show that skills gaps can’t be adequately identified without the establishment of functional Sector Skills Councils,” he said
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.
Participants lauded UNIDO for the initiative but said they want to think deeply about the proposal and would get back to the Organization by the end of this month.
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