The National Coordinator / CEO SERVICOM Presidency, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli has formally presented SERVICOM Compliance Evaluations reports to top Management of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF).

This presentation ceremony took place today, 22nd February, 2024, at the Funds Corporate headquarters in Abuja.

In her presentation, Mrs. Akajemeli, commended the efforts and the drive of the Management of ITF in the areas of improvements in her service delivery initiatives which points to the fact that their support to the initiatives is customer- centered.

She further lauded the efforts of the ITF in ensuring innovative strides in the area of training and retraining of students on solar energy installations which is key at this point in time as solar panel is now becoming a trend in Nigeria for alternative power supply.

The SERVICOM boss   during the course of her presentation highlighted that the purpose of any legitimate government is to serve citizens through the provision of services in MDAs which are intended to make positive changes in the lives and situation of citizens.

Mrs. Akajemeli in her presentation stated that the overall objectives of the SERVICOM Compliance Evaluation is to ensure Citizens Focused Service Delivery in Ministries Departments and Agencies(MDAs). The specific objectives include identifying gaps in service delivery and making recommendations to Industrial Trust Fund to improve customer satisfaction and accountability.

The National Coordinator said that the Industrial Training Fund was chosen for evaluation to access its current state of service delivery. Fifteen (15) Offices out of the Forty (40) State Offices including the Centre of Excellence selected for assessment of their compliance with the SERVICOM index.

Furthermore, she said , that  evidence was gathered at the service windows evaluated through the following : customer interviews with trainers, trainees , SIWEs Coordinators  and SIWES students, discussions with Management, staff and partners review of  ITF key documents,  desk research which included websites of  ITF , www. Itf. gov.ng,  SERVICOM website www.servicom.gov.ng and general observations.

According her, highlights of evaluators findings were based on areas of strengths and weakness in all the service windows evaluated using the SERVICOM INDEX which is a standard tool provided and approved by the Federal Government as a standardize method for measuring and comparing performance against service standards defined by MDAs.

The SERVICOM Index she said, bordered on 5 major Drivers such as Service Delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism, staff attitude with their criterion to ascertain areas of gaps and proffer solutions that are citizens- centered.

As highlighted in the rating, the National Coordinator said that, service delivery is rated with a 3-star rating   and considered Acceptable in Fifteen (15) State Offices and the headquarters visited. This means some important aspects and criteria of service delivery are covered.

In the chart displayed, Mrs.  Akajemeli said, it shows the average performance of each driver in all the evaluated service windows and it shows that the service windows are doing relatively better in Timeliness, followed by Service Delivery, Information, Staff Attitude and Professionalism.

It is important to note that there is need for deliberate continuous improvement in order to attain higher rankings of commendable and praiseworthy she added.

The Coordinator proffered immediate quick fixes to the Management of ITF to consider both on a medium term and long term basis.

In his welcome address the Director General / CEO, Industrial Training Fund, Dr. Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, said that the SERVICOM Compliance Evaluation Report was a score card and quite apt and important to the Fund as it relates to the services rendered by the staff.

He further stated ITF ‘s commitment to continuously work with the SERVICOM Office for improvement and reformations around its services that are seamless and citizen centred.

“We are working assiduously to close the gaps and ensure that we meet up with the mandate and standards stipulated in our service charter” he added.

He also made an affirmation of registering and training skill-up Artisans (SUPA) in the new initiatives as mandated by Mr. President to train Artisans across it service windows that would upskill them to an international standard and make ITF stand out as one of the leading Agencies in skills acquisition service wide.

Henrietta Okokon