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Tag: Joseph Ari

  • Skills acquisition: ITF graduates fresh batch of 11,000 youths

    Skills acquisition: ITF graduates fresh batch of 11,000 youths

    The Industrial Training fund has trained and empowered a fresh batch 11000 Nigerian youths on various skills under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP) of the agency.

    The Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari stated this on Thursday during closing ceremony of the Trainees from Ebonyi at the Staff Development Centre Abakaliki, the state capital.

    According to him, the trainees were trained for three months on various skills which include tailoring and fashion design, welding and fabrication and plumbing and pipe-fitting.

    Represented by the Zonal Director in charge of South East Region, Engr Peter Agbo, the Director said the 11000 trainees were drawn from the 36 states of the federation.

    Mr Ari said the agency decided to give the beneficiaries start up packs to enable them set up their businesses and hit the ground running.

    “The decision to provide the packs was informed by our tracking and monitoring of trainees of earlier phases which revealed that where supported with startup packs, 90 percent of trainees went on to be successful entrepreneurs, or even employers of labour. Conversely where they were not, they were not as successful”, he said

    The DG cautioned the beneficiaries not to sale the equipments given to them but to make judicious use of them.

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    “The start-up packs are of high standard and cost the ITF millions of naira. Do not contemplate selling any of the items presented to you. Please go out and [prove to the world that the 3 months you endured were worthwhile. Your destiny is ion your hands, do not toy with it”, Mr Ari said.

    While harping on the need for unity among all Nigerians Mr Ari solicited for cooperation and assistance of various state governments and other stakeholders with the ITF to enable it achieve its mandate of developing the nation’s human resource.

    In a remark, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry, Sam Egwu commended the ITF for living up to its mandate and promised the support of the Committee especially in approving the budget of the agency to enable it do more for the teaming unemployed youths of the country.

    One of the beneficiaries, Anaele Ikenna promised that the Trainees will put to practice what they have been taught and strive to be good ambassadors of the agency.

     

  • FCTA, ITF to collaborate on skills development

    FCTA, ITF to collaborate on skills development

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration ( FCTA ), has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Industrial Training Fund ( ITF ) to train youths in the territory on necessary entrepreneurial and vocational skills.

    The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, said this when the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari paid him a courtesy visit on Friday in Abuja.

    “We are ready to partner with ITF to reduce unemployment in the Territory by ensuring that our youths acquire the necessary skills that would make them self-employed and employers of labour.

    “This is especially very important now that there is so much influx of people from every part of the country into the Territory,’’ he said.

    According to him, this is in a bid to curtail the rate of unemployment in the territory and the country in general.

    The minister, represented by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Chinyeaka Ohaa lauded the enormous contributions of the ITF in repositioning the nation’s economy on the path of sustainable growth and development.

    “We know that ITF is one of the foremost institutions that have helped Nigeria’s economy tremendously.

    “In fact, your role is even more critical now that we are having unemployment issues,’’ he added.

    Earlier, Ari, the ITF director-general, said that given the position of FCT as the gateway of Nigeria, the agency believed in partnership with FCTA.

    “This partnership particularly in the area of skills acquisition will assist immensely to achieve the dream of President Muhammadu Buhari, to empower young people with requisite skills.

    “We are here to synergise with FCTA being the gateway of Nigeria to achieve the dream of Buhari which is hinged on empowering people with skills in different areas,’’ he explained.

    The ITF boss further said that the agency had keyed into the policy of Federal Government on the “Ease of Doing Business and other international trends.

    NAN

  • ITF trains 65 teachers, donates 210 desks to two schools

    ITF trains 65 teachers, donates 210 desks to two schools

    The Industrial Training Fund ( ITF ) has trained 65 teachers and donated 210 desks to two schools in Plateau, its Director-General, Mr Joseph Ari, said on Thursday in Jos.

    Ari, who said that the gesture was part of ITF’s corporate responsibility to its host community, identified the benefiting schools as Government Science School, Kuru, and St. Joseph Vianney Minor Seminary, Barkin-Ladi.

    He said that the schools also received various teaching aids to improve the quality of service delivery.

    According to him, ITF donated 20 computers to the two schools and renovated the sick bay at the seminary.

    “We also converted the school dispensary of the Science School, Kuru to a sick bay, and provided the required equipment and drugs,” he said.

    The ITF boss said that teachers’ development had remained a major concern of the ITF because they constituted a major factor in the provision of quality education.

    He said that ITF had also provided practical experience to students in 311 tertiary institutions using the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES).

    “We are also working with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association ( NECA ) to train workers on technical skills in 24 organisations,” he said.

    He said that Industrial Training Fund had also extended such gesture to technical schools in Benin and Federal Technical College, Awka, in Anambra.

  • ITF to empower 360 women on skills acquisition

    ITF to empower 360 women on skills acquisition

    Mr Joseph Ari, the Director-General , Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says 360 women will be trained under its new programme Women’s Skill Empowerment Programme (WOSP).

    Ari made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

    He said that 30 women would be selected from two states in the each of the geopolitical zones.

    Ari said that after the training, the women would be empowered with starter packs to enable them start their business.

    He said that ITF would partner with  Galilee International Management Institute in Israel on agriculture.

    Ari said that  ITF was still studying the proposal for partnership by the Institute.

    According to him, when the programme takes off, it will enable ITF  align itself with the Federal Government’s diversification programme.

    He said that ITF was ready to provide dynamic and proactive services aimed at achieving its mandate in line with government agenda.

    Ari said that ITF had reviewed its vision and came up with policy and implementation strategies to enable it take a leading role in human capital development.

    According to him, ITF intends to convene Nigeria Skills summit with the following deliverables: set actionable steps for developing employable skills in Nigeria and examine best practices for aligning skills development to market needs.

    He said ITF would leverage on the outcome of the summit for the development of national skills policy.

  • Reps urge EFCC to investigate ‘movement’ of N4bn from Keystone Bank

    The House of Representatives on Monday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to commence investigation into an alleged illegal movement of N4 billion from Industrial Trust Fund’s (ITF) account domiciled in Keystone Bank.

    The Vice Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, House of Representatives, Ibrahim Baba, made the call following a query issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    According to the query dated December 2010, a total sum of N4.2 billion was illegally moved three times in November from ITF account to other accounts, all belonging to same agency.

    The OAGF questioned the propriety of moving the money without remitting N23.5 million interest accruing from the transactions to the agency’s account.

    It also sought to ascertain who authorised the transactions and for what purpose.

    Responding to the query, the Director-General and Executive Chai ITF, Mr. Joseph Ari, said the transactions were made without the authorisation of the agency.

    Ari said the bank in its response to the query in May 2012 said the withdrawal from ITF’s remital control account was done in error.

    According to Ari, Keystone’s position was that it was a wrong posting but was later corrected.

    “However within the days the money was moved, ITF wrote Keystone Bank to remit the interest to the account accordingly but the bank didn’t reply.

    “We reported the matter to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the CBN advised that parties should sit down and discuss the matter.

    “However, we sat down with keystone officials without finding solution,’’ Ari said.