Over 9,000 graduates emerge Entreprenuers in Awka after NDE/GIS training

When the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration launched the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) as part of its strategies to fight youth unemployment, many laughed at it as one of those deceits of government.
But today, a total of about 25, 186 Nigerian graduates  have been deployed for training under the scheme with no fewer than 9,387 already completing their training.
The GIS, a programme initiated by the then Federal Government to give young graduates skills in order to reduce youth unemployment, has become a veritable source of hope for the teeming unemployed youth graduates.
Speaking of the modest achievements of the scheme recently at the orientation training of GIS, organized for interns and firms’ representatives in Awka, the GIS Project Director, Mr Peter Papka, noted that over 1,000 out of the about 9,387 that have exited the scheme had either secured jobs or started their own businesses.
While noting that the 25, 186 deployed for training were made up of 68 per cent males, 31 per cent females and one per cent vulnerable, the GIS boss assured that the Federal Government’s initiative was committed to finding solutions to youth unemployment, especially for school graduates.
The Federal Government’s funding of the scheme from regular budget, he pointed out, clearly attested to the great prospect GIS has in facilitating the enhancement of graduates’ skills for self employment.
Papka stated that the GIS was contributing to the renewed growth of Small and Medium Enterprises and cooperative societies through increased competent and skilled manpower and called for the institutionalization of the scheme beyond 2015.
He said: “So far, about 9,387 have exited the scheme while over 1,000 have secured jobs or started own businesses. The GIS has keyed into non-oil sectors with a view to developing capacity and skills required to complement the oil and gas sector of the economy.
“This initiative has culminated in partnership established with several government and non-governmental organizations. Memorandum of Understanding has been signed on export trade promotion, creative industries, financial inclusion, ICT as well as agriculture.
“About 13,781 firms across the country have registered to participate in the scheme while 305,780 graduates have already registered for the programme.”
The inclusion of partnering firms and organizations, he explained, was part of government’s commitment in contributing towards enhancement of their capacity in service effectiveness.
The State Coordinator of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mr Mike Mbata, in his remark charged the trainees to use the experience and skills acquired from the training to contribute meaningfully to national development.
“This is a journey to enhance your capacity towards contributing your quota to the national economy. It is our hope that the GIS will be yet another example that Nigeria will sell to the world as a way out of graduate unemployment.
“It is also our hope that the GIS interns will galvanize different sectors, especially the non-oil sector some years to come,” he said.
Some of the interns who spoke to Oriental News expressed gratitude to those who initiated the programme and urged the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to sustain it and break new grounds in the same direction.
One of them who gave his name as Kinsley said: “This is the kind of things government should have been doing since and it would have drastically reduced our unemployment level. Now that it is running from the former President Jonathan’s regime to now President Buhari is on the saddle, it is my hope and wish that they will sustain it.
“I tell you, for me it is bye-bye to job seeking because with the experience I have gathered here, as soon as I live here it will take me less than two months to be an employer of labour,” he said.