The Newly appointed Director General of Industrial Training Funds, Sir Joseph Ari, has assumed office with a call on staff and union members of the fund to cooperate with the management to enable it deliver on its assigned mandate.
Ari, who made call while receiving handing over notes from the acting Director General of the fund, Dickson Onuoha, expressed the Federal Government’s desire to reposition the sector for better human capital development through skills acquisition programme of government.
Ari, until his emergence as the DG ITF, served the fund as the Director of Administration and Human Resource and later moved to set a fresh tone for the newly established Corporate Planning Department and the Director Business Training Development Department at the ITF Headquarters.
Ari, who was born on December 21, 1960, is a holder of the West African School Certificate, Diploma in Broadcast Journalism, Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Post Graduate Diploma in Management.
He also holds a degree in Law (LL B (Hons.), a Masters Degree in Law LLM and Masters Degree in Business Administration.
His working career spans a period of over two decades, covering different spheres of disciplines and human endeavour.
Ari started broadcasting from the scratch at the Plateau State Broadcasting Corporation as a News Reporter/Presenter; had a stint with the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria in Lagos as a Newscaster and subsequently moved over to the Nigerian Television Authority as a News Editor/Caster.
His working career took him to the National Insurance Corporation of Nigeria, where he was the Public Relations Manager, North.
Ari was also the Director of Press and Public Affairs to two Governors of Plateau State before his appointment as the Sole Administrator and later General Manager of the Plateau Publishing Company, Jos.
Thereafter, he was reassigned to the Plateau Radio Television Corporation as General Manager.
To date, he remains the first Plateau State citizen to have headed the two state media outfits at different times.
Ari completed the cycle of his public service at the state level when he was appointed Permanent Secretary in charge of Government House Administration, a position he held until his appointment by the Federal Government as a Director in the Department of Public Relations, External Affairs and Publicity of the Industrial Training Fund, a grade ‘A’ Federal Government parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.
As the Director of Public Relations, he introduced the re-branding philosophy, which saw members of staff re-oriented to provide quality service to clients of the Fund.
The policy also engaged external stakeholders, thus paving the way for increased support and collaboration for smooth implementation of the ITF Act.
Addressing the staff at the handing over ceremony held at the headquarters on Miango Road, Federal Lowcost, Jos on Wednesday, Ari solicited for the cooperation of the staff to enable him discharge his function without fear of favour.