The Director General of the Industrial Training Found (ITF) Sir, Joseph Ari has said the (Fund) has trained and equipped 11,100 Nigerians, including victims of civil unrest that affected north eastern in Nigeria.
“ITF has in the past two years from year 2016 till date, trained 3000 people each from the 36 states of Nigeria, including Abuja, since when I assumed office as chief executive ITF, the beneficiaries included victims of crisis from the north east. Beneficiaries were given start-up kits to start their businesses.”
“Also, over 50,000 youths and other vulnerable groups were equipped with skill.” The Director General Joseph Ari stated.
The said person were trained in leather, electrical installation, bead making, food processing, pastry, detergent making, soap and disinfectant, tie and dye, among other vocations.
Sir Ari made the disclosure in Jos, at an accountability forum organized by the correspondents’ chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Plateau state council.
Accountability forum of the correspondents’ chapel NUJ Plateau state, is an initiatives of the chapel executives, which avails top management public officers and political office holders present their stewardship to the public.
The Director General of the ITF and Chief executive said the ITF has been mandated by the federal government to reduce unemployment through vocational skill acquisitions, and also provide start-up kits to trainees.
According to the DG, beneficiaries of the scheme, include 200 technical teachers, equipped with modern skills to effectively impact technology knowledge into in elementary school students.
Sir. Ari, also revealed that white colour jobs that most people yearn for are no longer forthcoming in Nigeria, following fast growing population of Nigerian, therefore, Nigerian government need to armed it citizens with vocational skill to be self reliance.
He said ITF have established school farm for agricultural science base oriented students and equipped the workshops, as a means of encouraging elementary students to study agriculture.
On the students industrial work experience scheme SIWES for technical students of higher institutions, Ari said 328 higher institutions have been participatig in ITF students industrial scheme.
The DG further revealed that the Fund currently do expend the sum of 2.5 billion naira annually for students on attachment at ITF
The ITF chief executive advocated for inclusion of vocational skill acquisitions into elementary school curriculum.
He told the gathering that under his leadership as the Director General ITF has sponsored 23 staff on oversea training, 1,517 on short term development programme, and 58 others on professional field of endeavor for effective performance.
Speaking on his efforts toward having a united workforce, Sir Ari said the his administration has addressed the dispute between management and union members of the ITF which had almost relocated headquarters of the ITF from Jos to Abuja.
Earlier, in their separate remarks chairman correspondents’ chapel Aminu Idegu, chairman Nigeria Union of Journalists Plateau state council Paul Jatau and the national trustee (zone D) of the NUJ Katpdaba Gobum, all said the “accountability forum” initiative will help chief executives to be assessed by the public.
Mr. Idegu said Joseph Ari is the first chief executive of a federal government owned parastatal to have accepted and appeared on the accuntability forum.
