ITF DG, Joseph Ari Reels Off Successes And Challenges At Journalists’ Parley In Jos
The Oasis Reporters
June 10, 2018
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Industrial Training. Fund (ITF),
Sir Joseph Ntung Ari who has been a motivational speaker recently featured at the Accountability Forum, in Jos, Plateau. MOSES GBANDE was there and reports.
It was an eventful moments for the Plateau State Chapter of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists as it played host to one of their own, Sir Joseph Ari, one time, Director of Press and Public Affairs to two former governors of Plateau State, before moving up to assume office as the Director General, Industrial Training Fund.
The Accountability forum which was an initiative of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, headed by it’s Chairman, Aminu Idegu had in attendance, the National officers of the Union, Katdaba Gobum, the council Chairman Pam Jatau and other management staff
of the Industrial Training Fund.
The Media interface with news reporters became an opportunity for the Chief Executive Officer of the ITF to showcase
his report on services delivered.
Within a few years in office, Sir Joseph Ntung Ari has been able to empower a huge number of citizens of the country in diverse disciplines.
He said when the current management came on board, it met an organization on the cusp of crisis – that manifested in consistent bad press and restiveness amongst the workforce, but he strived to resolve the crises both internal and external and has been able to return the organization on to the path of growth
On the implementation of the ITF reviewed vision,the DG said
the Vision is Strategies for Mandate Actualization within six-year plan that was conceived by the incumbent Management on assumption of office which comprised of short term, medium and long term goals.
According to him It commenced in late 2016 to terminate in 2022, saying It was designed to aggressively address service challenges, infrastructure deficits, revenue and a gamut of other strictures impinging the actualization of the Fund’s mandate.
“Barely two years into its implementation, the ITF has trained over 60,000 Nigerians from 2,300 organisations.
‘We. trained over 50,000 youths and other vulnerable groups were equipped with skills for employability and entrepreneurship through programmes including the National Industrial Skills Development Programme, (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Training on Wheels and the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP), among several other initiatives.
In all, about 150,000 Nigerians have benefited from ITF training programmes since assumption of the current management”
He emphasied that the ITF implemented numerous technical skills acquisition programmes as well as introduced new initiatives including the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP) and the Skills Development Programme for Youths in Construction Trade (CONSEP) among several others.
‘The NISDP, our flagship technical vocational skills acquisition programme, which was run twice in 2016, has trained about 30,000 youths drawn from the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between late 2016 to date.
‘In the last phase of the programme, new ideas were introduced. Trade areas were streamlined to three, namely: Welding and Fabrication, Tailoring / Fashion Design, and Plumbing and Pipe Fitting.
‘Another tweak was unlike previous phases where the ITF depended on State governments to provide start-up kits, the ITF provided start-up packs to all the 11,100 beneficiaries of the programme .
He said WOSEP is another skills acquisition programme that was targeted at another vulnerable segment, in this case the women folk. and in the Programme over 500 rural women drawn from 13 states and the FCT were trained across 32 centres
‘ Eleven trade areas were covered, namely: Event Management, Cosmetology, Poultry Farming, Bead Making, Baking and Pastry, Soap/Disinfectant/Detergent Making, Hair Making, Food Processing, Tailoring and Fashion Design, Tie and Dye and Electrical Installations.
‘Passion to profession (training on wheels), over 120 trainees were trained in tailoring and garment making using our mobile training units.
‘The Construction Skills Empowerment Programme, CONSEP was initiated in 2017 with the aim of equipping Nigerians with skills for the construction sector.
‘A total of 1,900 Nigerians from 19 states of the Federation and the FCT were trained in five trade areas namely: Brick Making, Plaster of Paris, Tiling, Electrical Installation and Carpentry. Our commitment is to continue with this programme until Nigerians are equipped with the required skills to stem incidences of building collapse and to supplant the foreigners in this sector.
‘ITF Model Skills Training Centre (MSTC), Abuja, the Management procured the remainder of equipment that had stalled the graduation of trainees of Facility Technology and Mechatronics at the centre. With the installation, trainees of the Mechatronics Department have graduated while Facility Technology trainees will graduate later this year.
“The issue of certification, which was part of the reasons for the delay in graduation has been resolved. Today, a graduate of our MSTC is a proud holder of the National Innovative Diploma Certificate which is equivalent to the National Diploma award by polytechnics and monotechnics.
“Similarly, the Fund retooled and refitted its Industrial Skill Training Centres (ISTCs) in Kano, Ikeja and Lokoja with the state-of-the-art training equipment for them to be able to impart cutting edge skills to Nigerians. These centres have since been chosen by the Federal Government for the N-Power programme’.
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In keeping faith with ITF enabling Act that every Employer, having either five or more employees in its establishment, OR having less than five employees but with a turnover of fifty million naira (N50m) and above per annum, shall, in respect of each calendar year, or on the prescribed date, contribute to the Fund one percentum (1%) of its total annual payroll; All Employers who pay their annual Training Contribution have a duty to train indigenous staff and shall accept Students on Industrial Attachment.
The Fund paid a total of Six Billion, Four Hundred and Fifty-One Million, Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Thousand, Ninety-Two Naira, Fifty-Six Kobo (N6,451,365,092.56) as training reimbursement to Four Hundred and Thirty (430) companies that met all criteria for such reimbursement.
On the infrastructure deficits in the Fund, he said the management embarked on the completion of Lagos Island, Katsina and Minna Area Offices. All the three Area Offices are at different levels of completion and will be commissioned soon.
‘At the ITF staff School, Management renovated all existing structures, and constructed new classrooms and hostel blocks in order to accommodate more students.
‘It also established a school farm for Agricultural science practicals, and provided and equipped workshops for Technical Science, Home Economics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology subjects. As a result of these developments, the school has now been accredited as a WAEC centre.
The Fund disbursed a total of N199,800,000.00 to 289 staff as housing and car loans.
The intention of the revolving loan scheme is to ensure that staff of the Fund own their own houses and have no transportation problems.
A total of 1,646 members of the Fund’s workforce were sponsored for capacity development.
1,517 were sponsored on short term staff development programmes,
58 were sponsored on professional membership in their various professional fields,
42 benefitted from long term staff development programmes,
23 enjoyed sponsorship of overseas training programmes and
Six benefitted from internship programmes. The commitment of management is ensuring that all staff of the Fund are trained for optimal productivity.
Management has established a Sickbay in the Headquarters. The Sickbay, which is domiciled in Business Training and Development Department (BTDD) is equipped and staffed to cater for the health needs of the workforce.
He said the Fund in addition to image building of the Fund, they have acquired over 2,000 slots in various media for the placement of its jingles and documentaries, as well as entered into retainership agreements with 5 media outfits namely: Silverbird Communications, Plateau Radio Television Corporation (PRTVC), Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Jay FM and Unity FM just as it sponsored a 30-minute programme “Training Mandate” on PRTVC.
“He however admitted that the journey has not been without challenges, but he would not want financial challenges to cripple his vision for the Fund’.
ABOUT SIR JOSEPH NTUNG ARI :
He is the Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Industrial Training. Funds, ITF. He has been a motivational speaker and Member of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
*Member, Nigerian Institute of Management.
*Member, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON.
* Fellow, of the Corporate Administration Institute
* Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR.
