Participants at the ongoing three-day Graduate Internship Employability and Career Development of the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) training at the Centre for Management Development, Lagos, have been urged to maximise the opportunity being avail to them by the training and make their life better.
The GIS Director, Mr. P. M. Papka in his speech delivered by Deputy Chief Consultant, Supreme Management Training and Consultancy Limited, Dr. Olubisi Fasuyi, said the aim of the scheme is to provide the unemployed and underemployed graduate youths with internship opportunities that will expose them to skills and experiences relevant to the current labour market and enhance their employability.
“You may recall that at the onset of your engagement as an intern of the Graduate Internship Scheme, you had been energized to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that the scheme provides for you. These are in terms of personal and social skills that you would acquire, leading to self-discovery, a redefinition of self-esteem, self-actualisation as well as work skills, which are necessary for you to make a head way in your working or business life,” he said.
He noted that since the inception of the scheme, many firms and graduates have benefited, stressing that while the graduates are securing opportunities to develop their employability and business acumen, many firms have partnered to mentor the graduates.
“Out of the graduates that have served out their one year term, some have moved on to other employment, while others have been employed by the firms themselves. Firms are joining this partnership everyday and they are bringing different experiences, lessons and ideas onto the table. The GIS is contributing to the renewed growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and cooperative societies through increased competent and skilled manpower. 25,186 graduates have been deployed, with 68 percent males, 31 percent females and one percent vulnerable.
“So far 9,387 have exited the scheme, with over 1000 having secured jobs or started own businesses; records are still being compiled and result would certainly be good. Some of the graduates have won YouWiN grants to expand businesses they set up using GIS stipends, and many have set up and saved through cooperative associations with potential to secure funding from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Rather than seek for work, they are now becoming employers.”