The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has joined forces with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to train no fewer than 100 Nigerian youths in high-demand technical skills in eight critical trade areas.
The six-month technical and vocational training programme equipped the youths with the relevant skills in the oil and gas industry.
NCDMB in a statement made available to Maritime Bits stated that the close-out ceremony of the training took place last Friday at the Raw Materials and Research Development Centre (RMRDC), Abuja.
According to the statement, the programme forms part of NCDMB human capacity development initiatives under the Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap, designed to close identified indigenous manpower gaps in the oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.
Beneficiaries were drawn from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC-JQS) platform and underwent a rigorous selection process involving computer-based tests and oral interviews, ensuring transparency and nationwide representation.
It added that the training covered automation and mechatronics technology, building technology, residential air-conditioning and refrigeration maintenance.
Others are mechanical services and maintenance, electrical/electronic technology, instrumentation and process control, mobile phone repairs and troubleshooting, and information and communication technology (ICT).
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, was represented at the event by the General Manager, Human Capacity Development, Barrister Dan Esueme Kikile who delivered the keynote remarks.
Ogbe described the programme as “a celebration of skills, resilience, and national growth” just as he noted that the trade areas were demand-driven, aligning with the oil and gas industry, the local construction sector, and emerging fields such as renewable energy and digital manufacturing.
He enjoined the graduates to embrace continuous learning, innovation, and professionalism, stressing that they now hold “the keys to self-reliance, job creation, and professional fulfillment.”
The ceremony was officially declared open by the Director General of ITF, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin, who emphasised the importance of technical and vocational training for national development and expressed appreciation to partners like NCDMB for their support. Various ITF Abuja department heads who contributed to the programme’s success were also recognised.
The NCDMB-ITF partnership reflects the Board’s commitment to promoting local content by developing a skilled workforce for the oil and gas industry and other critical sectors of the economy, thereby fostering entrepreneurship, reducing unemployment, and driving national growth.
