Those who have been following my entrepreneurial endeavors know I applied for the YOUWIN grant last year. I did not win, and so funds remain tight for my fledgling business. On it appears there's another way I can obtain support from the government, that is in the area of employees, who will be paid by the government. No, this is not the NYSC, but something similar.
I got to learn more about this at a seminar I attended last week, a sensitization workshop on the new federal government led Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS). GIS is one of the funnels through which the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) funds can be channeled to the masses of unemployed graduates in Nigeria, at the same time as using organizations, governmental, private and non-government to train them to become more employable or to employ themselves and others.
Set up by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the GIS provides one-year internships opportunity for graduates. and has so far registered about 120,000 graduates on its web platform.http://gis.wyesurep.gov.ng/
Now they are looking for the employers to take the registered graduates. After listening to the very lucid and to the point presentations from the team members that were part of the event, I hope to be one of those employers. But that's if they'll have me. Every potential employer has to apply at their website and submit some relevant documents, some of which I'm yet to obtain. But we'll see.
In the meantime, enjoy the pics I took. Audu Maikori is on the SURE-P committee and part of the information panel at the event. Comedian, Oxygen, was the compere. Peter Papka is the very well informed GIS project manager, and Sulaiman Haruna, their techie guy.
Off to register, been at home since I finished service last year. How come I didn;t hear about this?
ReplyDeleteNow you've heard. Good luck!
DeleteI heard UNILEVER recently took on a lot of them. It's a good initiative and a great way for the job seekers to gain some experience too.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I just hope it doesn't get corrupted like NYSC.
DeleteI actually won the YOUWIN grant but i've been thinking of the GIS program to employ people cuz even with the grant I can barely afford the type of expertise i need. Thanks Myne
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Congrats and all the best!
DeleteDear Myne, but you're not resident in Nigeria, don't pay your taxes here, neither do you contribute to the economy directly. Do you think you qualify?
ReplyDeleteWell, the GIS officials will decide. My business is based here, employs Nigerians, and pays taxes to the state and federal governments. And who knows, maybe if it makes me a millionaire, I may be tempted to relocate? LOL...
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