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From Gyang Bere, Jos
The Director General of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Joseph Ari said the Fund will expand it skills acquisition and empowerment programme for youths and indigents persons to cushion the difficulties and negative effects of COVID-19 pandamic in the country.
Ari disclosed this yesterday during his resumption in office for a second tenure after his reappointment President Muhammadu Buhari at the Centre for Excellence ITF, Jos Plateau State.
He regretted that most organizations have rationalised their workforce and some have even closed shops due to the difficult operational environment that came with COVID-19.
“In terms of economic difficulties such as we are passing through, the first option of most h was to cut expenses on human capital development. This will no doubt impact the number of people we train and the revenue generated there from.”
He said the Fund will focus more on economic recovery to create job opportunities for vulnerable persons in the country.
“The ITF will in the next four years escalate and amplify its activities especially with regard to skills acquisition and empowerment of youths and indigents segments of the society as well as strengthen the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector through need-based training in view of the vital importance of the sector to national growth and development, especially in the light of the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government.
“The Fund will continue to invest in expanding it’s infrastructure in order to create opportunities and open up our services to all Nigerians desirous of acquiring skills.”
He expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing him first as the Director-General of the ITF which provided him the atmosphere to contribute to skills development in the country and and said his reappointment will witness massive transformation.
“I wish to express my appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing me as Director-General and giving me another opportunity to further contribute my quota to the development of our dear country by reappointing me for another four years.
“The President and my supervising Ministers in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment who recommended me for reappointment and gave us the wings to fly by generating policies that provided the needed impetus for us to achieve not only our targets but also thrive and Excel.
“We are still in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that has ravaged economies across the world. In Nigeria, as a result of the pandemic, unemployment has risen just as many Nigerians lost their jobs.
“We are in a national emergency that requires every Nigerian to join hands and work together. As a leading capacity development institution in Nigeria will urgently and significantly contribute to assist our stakeholders and the economy to overcome this challenge.”
