The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) has described as fraudulent a training programme being advertised on social media platforms tagged, “Boys Industrial Training Initiative 2024 undergraduate technical internship.”
In a statement yesterday, Director-General of the Fund, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, noted that despite the website’s professional appearance and use of the ITF logo and name, no legitimate internship or scholarship programme exists under such an initiative.
He said that the people behind the fake advertisement were inviting unsuspecting individuals to apply for a “non-existing programme” and warned that “anyone who deals with these touts does so at his or her own risk.”
The statement read: “The attention of the industrial training fund has been drawn to a fake advertisement circulating on the Internet of a fraudulent programme titled “Boys Industrial Training Initiative 2024 undergraduate technical internship.”
“Despite the website’s professional appearance and use of the ITF logo and name, authorities confirm that no legitimate internship or scholarship programme exists under this initiative.
“The organisation behind the posting is falsely promoting opportunities that do not exist. While the site provides detailed information, including deadlines and application procedures, and the use of the ITF logo and name, it is entirely fabricated and misleading.”
It, therefore, urged members of the public to note that the industrial training fund, as an organisation, runs programmes and services that include research and development, direct training, curriculum design and development, Student Industrial Work Experience Schemes (SIWES), technical and vocational skills development, ICT training and service, MSME development and support services, bespoke and special intervention programmes.