Makurdi - Over 180, 000 unemployed graduates across the country are to benefit from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, this year.
Project Director of the GIS, Mr. Peter Papka made this known yesterday, at a one-day Sensitisation and Internship Opportunities Fair, held in Makurdi, the Benue State capital. Papka said over 7,000 firms had already signed up with the GIS "to take on interns in their respectable firms for over a period of 12 months while the Federal Government pays a monthly stipend of N30,000 to the interns.
"Our expectation is that during the graduate's internship, he/she is expected to acquire professional skills, training and work experience to improve their job-placement opportunities while participating institutions are also expected to provide adequate opportunities for on the job training and mentoring."
In his speech, the Convener of the SURE-P's Community" Service Women and Youth Employment, CSWYE, Sub-Committee of the GIS, Mr. Audu Maikori said the programme annually provides 50,000 employment opportunities for jobless Nigerian graduates.
"The issue of unemployment is a subject we are all familiar with in this country and statistics have also shown that about 300,000 Nigerians graduate from the university yearly into the labour market with little or no job opportunities.
"We are happy to announce to you that in a bid to engaging more unemployed graduates all over the country, some states in the country have not only indicated interest in the scheme, but that as of today, 11 states in the country have approached us requesting for over 13,000 unemployed graduates to be deployed in the various states for the GIS programme."
Source: Vanguard