The Nigeria’s corporate space needs to close its skills gap by improving the skillsets, especially among youths, professional competence and employability of young graduates.
This was disclosed by Obi Ibekwe, Chief Executive of EnterpriseNGR, a professional advocacy group, via a statement she issued on Wednesday.
According to her, it is important for the youth to obtain invaluable workplace experience and networking opportunities which will position them for meaningful career journeys.
What she is saying about skills gap
She said, “We all know the difficulty young people face in finding jobs. With YOE this will be a thing of the past but EnterpriseNGR is leveraging its reach to raise a network of premium organizations that are willing to offer internship opportunities to young Nigerian graduates.
“Currently, about 55% of unemployed Nigerians are youth aged 15 – 34 years. This is indicative of an apparent gap in youth employability that needs to be addressed.”
“It is important to improve the skillsets, professional competence and employability of young graduates. YOE participants will obtain invaluable workplace experience and networking opportunities which will position them for meaningful career journeys. EnterpriseNGR is leveraging its reach to raise a network of premium organizations that are willing to offer internship opportunities to young Nigerian graduates.”
She added that employers participating in the YOE Internship Programme will have the opportunity to guide and evaluate placed talent for 6 (six) months before considering them for recruitment.
“They will also be able to cost efficiently build a pipeline of entry-level talent, reduce the size and scope of their orientation programmes and improve the performance of their organizations by infusing fresh academic knowledge, digitization and innovation into their systems,” she added.
The YOE Internship Programme is a paid six-month programme that offers Nigerian youth the perfect opportunity to re-invent themselves and “GREENSTART” their careers.
Since its launch in October 2021, EnterpriseNGR has grown its member base with top organizations in the FPS sector including Aluko & Oyebode, Chapel Hill Denham, Coronation Merchant Bank Ltd., FBNQuest Ltd., FMDQ Group, NGX Group, Tengen Family Office, PWC Nigeria, Templars, Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Access Bank Plc., DLM Capital Ltd., Investment One Financial Services Ltd., Custodian Investment Plc., and Tangerine General Insurance Limited.