The Project Director, Graduate Internship Scheme of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, Mr. Peter Papka, on Tuesday, appealed to corporate bodies in Ondo State to embrace the Federal Government’s initiative on unemployment.
Papka made the appeal in Akure at a one-day sensitisation forum organised for management of the various corporate establishments operating in the state.
Papka, who was represented on the occasion by one of the coordinators of the programme, Mr. Fola Jimoh, noted that the challenge of the project was how to absorb millions of graduates currently in the labour market into the various firms across the country.
He said that 225 firms had registered under the scheme in Ondo State while 50 of them had been approved to take interns.
He said 7,592 graduates had been registered under the scheme in the state but 205 out of them matched to firms but lamented that just 16 graduates had been hired by the participating firms.
He added, “Clearly, there is the urgent need for more firms to participate in this programme and take graduates out of the labour market.”
He noted with concern that the various institutions of higher learning in the country were producing over 300,000 graduates yearly, which the system, both public and private, could not absorb.
To tackle the problem, the SURE-P boss said the GIS scheme was introduced so that firms could absorb “inexperienced” graduates so that they can gain necessary experiences that would qualify them for places in the corporate world.
He said, “Graduates, under the scheme, will be placed in for profit and non-profit making organisations and selected government agencies, on one-year internship. The interns are expected to acquire professional skills, training and work experience to improve their job placement opportunities.
“The Federal Government will be responsible for paying a monthly stipend of N25,000 to them while participating institutions will be expected to provide adequate opportunities for work and mentoring.
“Among the objective of the scheme is the resolve to enhance the employability of at least 50,000 unemployed graduates in the 36 states of the federation by improving their skills through job placement.”