Over 500,000 Nigerians Benefits Technical Skills Amidst COVID-19, Says Ari
–As ITF Marks 50th Golden Jubilee
By Daniel Agada, Jos.
The Director General/ Chief executive of the industrial training fund (ITF), Sir Joseph Ari said that the reviewed vision strategies for mandate actualization programmes conceived by the fund to cushion the effects of COVID-19 pandemic has lead to training of over 500, 000 Nigerians with cutting-edge technical skills in four years.
Ari revealed that the beneficiaries were all empowered with start-up packs for the first time since the establishment of the fund in 8th October, 1971. “Similar strides have been recorded in infrastructural development, direct training services, collaboration and other facets of the fund’s activities”, he noted.
The ITF DG, Ari made the statement at the occasion of the fund’s (ITF) 50th golden jubilee at their headquarters in Jos the state capital on Friday.
According to him, ” today, 50 years later, that we are here celebrating this landmark is a tribute to our commitment, resilience and dedication as an organization and its workforce, as we have had to overcome numerous hamstring and debilitating challenges that stood on our path.
“Our longevity and effectiveness could be attributed, in the main, to the quality of leadership and workforce the fund has had all these years.
“One key achievement of the plan that will terminate in 2024 is the assembling of the ITF mobile phone which was produced by the Model Skills Training Centre, Abuja. Already, plans are underway for the mass production of mobile phone, which was presented to President Muhammadu Buhari, in June this year.
“Due to pandemic, fund has accelerated the process of automating it’s business processes in order to enhance efficiency and reduce person-person contact, as such, the SIWES online platform has been created while the enabling equipment for e-learning have been procured and deployed for remote implementation of our programmes”, The DG stated.
He further acknowledged some of the achievements recorded which includest:”tremendous resources were also invested in corporate social responsibility to boost our relationship with other host community.
” The fund trained over 200 teachers to update their skills, donated desk and ICT equipment to Government Technical College Bukuru and Government since school Kuru and also commission a sick-bay at st.John Vianney Minor Seminary Barking Ladi.”
Ari assured that the fund will continue to extend such support to their host communities if finances and governmental policies permit.
Applauding ITF for attaining a milestone 50th anniversary, Plateau state Governor Simon Lalong opines that his administration policy thrust placed high premium on human capital development.
He said Government will continue investing on training and retraining of personnel, and also equipped youth and women viable skills acquisition programmes as they partner with the fund.
The keynote speaker, Nde Ezekiel Gomos while presenting a paper titled:” changing the poverty narrative through skills: The role of the ITF and the imperative for institutional synergy”, acknowledged that poverty in Niger is pervasive.
He said:” despite the huge intervention by both the Government and other donor agencies to tackle poverty the situation keep on persisting.
“Skills acquisition remain essential commodity of the 21st century because when people are properly engaged it can bring about productivity. ITF should be an economic Centre for Nigeria, developing the nation’s human resources”, Gomos suggested.
However, award of excellence towards the growth and development of the fund was bestowed on Governor Lalong, DG ITF Sir Joseph Ari, other personalities as well as corporate entities.