More firms join the graduate internship scheme.

More firms and agencies have joined the Graduate Internship Scheme in a bid to reduce the spate of unemployment among Nigerian graduates; this was reflected in the recent verification exercise conducted to allow firms to engage registered graduates. The Scheme, which is a component of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) is being implemented in the Federal Ministry of Finance.

As part of the processes for the engagement of graduate interns, the Graduate Internship Scheme conducts verification exercise on interested and registered firms and agencies all over the country to ensure they meet the requirements to take interns from the GIS pool.

In the latest exercise, 365 registered firms were listed for verification across the states of the federation, out of which 9 states have been concluded; these are Enugu, FCT, Kano, Katsina, Kwara, Lagos, Ondo, Osun and Rivers, where 201 firms were verified.

Of the 201 firms verified in the 9 states, 72 firms have been approved to take 370 interns, with the highest number of firms approved for the FCT being 21 followed by Kano with 16, while the highest allocation of interns was approved for Ondo with 80 followed by Katsina with 74.

It is to be noted that of the 201 firms verified in the nine states, only 72 were approved to take interns. This is attributable to the fact that, many of the firms did not meet the stipulated conditions for the internship; one of which is that, they must be able to mentor the interns on some office, business or entrepreneurial skills. They must have registered with the CAC and be up to date on their tax payments. Many firms were also not located on the contacts they gave.

The project has 398 approved firms all over the country engaging a total of 1,196 interns; many firms are still in the process of engaging the graduates. These figures however remain provisional while awaiting reports from the remaining states.

The Graduate Internship Scheme has a mandate to engage 50,000 young unemployed graduates in temporary employment every year by placing them to work in firms and agencies so that they acquire working experience and skills to either improve their employability or enable them set up their own businesses. So far, over 90,000 graduates have registered.

Among the recent partners of the GIS are Legal Aid Council, Dana Group, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, Annabel Entertainment Academy and ITV.

Others include Cornerstone Insurance and Unity Kapital Assurance. Registration for both graduates and firms continues at http://gis.wyesurep.gov.ng

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