By Egufe Yafugborhi

PORT HARCOURT – TOTALEnergies in Nigeria, Intels Nigeria Limited and Hobark International Limited have emerged winners of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) annual awards in various categories among best contributing partners in the Fund’s commitment to quality Human Resource Development (HRD).

At the Fund’s 2022 Interactive Forum With Clients And Stakeholders for its Port Harcourt, Rivers state which also featured unveiling of the its 2023 programmes, TotalEnergies was awarded Best In Training Contribution 2021 within Port Harcourt Area Office.

Hobark International Limited took the award as Best In Training Contribution 2022 within Port Harcourt Area Office while Intels Nigeria Limited took the award for Best Employer In Human Resource Development consecutively for 2021 and 2022.

At the interactive session, the Area Manager, Port Harcourt Area Office, ITF, Mrs Ifeyinwa Osagie, on behalf of the Director General, Sir Joseph Ari, motivated stakeholders on enhancing individual and collective productivity in a lecture on “Organizational Agility: Imperative for Organizational Survival In An Unstable Economy”.

The Port Harcourt Area Manager said, “We have been actively involved in the pursuance of our mandate which is to provide, promote and encourage acquisition of skills and competencies in Industry and Commerce with a view to generating a pool of indigenous manpower sufficient to meet the needs of the Nigerian Economy.”

She acknowledged that the Fund could not have achieved so much in the 51 years of its corporate existence with the cooperation of employers of labour, including various public and private partners who make funding and training contribution and patronise programmes and services of the ITF.

“The Fund is currently in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to implement the Batch C2 of N-Build (a component of N-Power Programme) in trade areas including Carpentry and Joinery, Electrical Installations, Plumbing & Pipefitting and Masonry.

“The objectives of these programmes are to promote entrepreneurship and
employability, job and wealth creation to reduce youth restiveness and also enable
diversification of the Nigeria Economy in line with Federal Government’s Policy
directives”, she also disclosed.

Stakeholders, in feedbacks, urged the Fund to improved on its management of funding remittance, particularly on fast tracking refunds on overpayments and improved communications to raise mutual confidence in their partnerships.