Jos
Thousands of selected trainees under the Industrial Training Fund’s (ITF) Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) Programme on Tuesday sat for City and Guilds mock examinations across the country as part of preparations for final certification.
A statement signed by Thomas Ngor
Director, Press and Public Relations of ITF reads that the the mock exams, which held in 34 City and Guilds-approved centres and ITF Area Offices nationwide, covered nine trades Welding and Fabrication, Plumbing and Pipefitting, Scaffolding, Waiter, Electrical Installation, Auto Mechanic, Carpentry, Cyber Security, and Housekeeping.
The statement also reads that Mrs Olayinka Shodunke, ITF Director of Standardisation and Certification Department and Coordinator of the mock examinations, said the trainees were selected based on their excellent performance in both theoretical and practical components of the SUPA training.
She added that City and Guilds International would schedule the dates for the final examinations after assessing the mock scripts.
The Director-General of the ITF, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, who visited several examination centres, commended City and Guilds for its partnership with the Fund.
Dr Ogun described the examinations as a clear demonstration of the ITF’s commitment to equipping SUPA graduands with internationally recognised certifications, which would enable them to compete favourably with their peers anywhere in the world.
He announced that implementation of the 2026 phase of the SUPA programme would commence in the coming weeks, following the screening of participants conducted in December 2025.
“You may recall that in the last quarter of 2025, we conducted a screening of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who registered online for the programme nationwide.
Although not all applicants can be onboarded simultaneously due to the limited number of centres equipped to SUPA standards, we remain committed to training as many Nigerians as possible under the programme, in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Dr Ogun stated.
The ITF boss urged Nigerian youths who are yet to register for the SUPA training to do so without delay in order to acquire skills that would make them competitive both locally and internationally.
He disclosed that the ITF is in advanced discussions with Alberk QA Technic and other international certification bodies to ensure that SUPA trainees receive a range of globally recognised certifications.
The SUPA programme is one of the Federal Government’s key initiatives aimed at addressing skills gaps, reducing quackery in vocational trades, and empowering Nigerian artisans with world-class competencies.