** ‘ll encourage nations, persons to realize their potentials
By David Odama
LAFIA—- Director General, Industrial Training Fund, Joseph Ari said Thursday in Lafia, Nasarawa state that training of Nigerian Youth on skill acquisition remained the nation’s key to greatness, economic growth and development.
Speaking while inspecting the Vocation Technology Institute established by the Nasarawa state government, Ari said skills acquisition if properly driven would not only become the 21 century currency that would move nations and persons to where their potentials would be realized.
The ITF boss said as a foremost skills development organization equipped with the mandate to provide, promote and encourage the aquisition of skills of Nigerians in industry and commerce, the agency is willing to collaborate with Nasarawa State in imparting the necessary technical knowledge on citizens.
Describing skills aquisition as the only direction to go on the present day Nigeria, Sir Joseph Ari commended the Nasarawa State Government for taking the bull by the horn to change the narrative in skills development in the country by establishing a state of the art vocational and skill acquisition centre, assuring that training at the centre will commence this month.
“I must use this opportunity to commend nasarawa state government for thinking ahead of it’s peers because for me skills are the 21 century currency that would move any nation or person to realize it’s highest potential. I am excited and really very impressed with the facilities generally provided for the training of the youths, they are very well place brand new and also will meet the expectation of a high class facility “, the DG stated..
“We had a conversation with His Excellency the deputy governor and it has come to our notice that there are 11 trade areas at this center and this center can comfortably take all this 11 trade areas including the clinic which meet our expectations of safety and health of the environment.
The DG who announced that ITF in collections with the Nasarawa state government will train 70 of the state indigenes on welding, fabrication as well as the ICT decried the growing concern in trade.
According to him, the trainiees would be needed in the formal or informal sectors stressing that the first two trades that would be undertaking would be welding and fabrication as well as ICT .
“This is a complete state of the art center we discussed and decide at the training of the trainers and the trainers to make the people reliant and be useful to themselves and the society”.
Also speaking, the Nasarawa state Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe noted that Government will take advantage of the presence of the ITF Area Office in Lafia to get the best out of the labour force in the state, assuring of enhanced partnership.
Dr. Akabe while appreciating the ITF for all the skill trainings given to people of the state in the past, urged the organization to put more emphasis on data management, monitoring and evaluation to ensure better service delivery.