Three hundred and twenty six (326) Nigerian graduates Wednesday commenced training under the Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) of the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P).

The number chosen are a far cry from the over 5,500 graduates that applied for the Scheme.

The Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS), which is a fallout of the protest that greeted the January 1, 2012 fuel hike by government was launched in October, 2012 to create opportunity for graduates to be attached to firms\organisations where they can work and get experience for a year and also enjoy a monthly stipend of N18,000 which would be paid into their account.

According to Project Director, Graduate Internship Scheme of SURE-P, Mr. Peter Papka, GIS is targeted at strengthening the capacity of graduates to enable them get job placements.

"GIS creates an avenue for interns to go into the firms, learn the technique of a working environment, build their skill within the sector where they have been deployed on the basis of their current qualification.

"That will create new avenues to determine whether where you entered is the sector you want to remain. It is an opportunity for you to also demonstrate to the firm that yes I have something to offer therefore I am worthy to be retained by the organisation."

Mr. Papka disclosed that the Scheme would run simultaneously in Abuja and Lagos as some of the beneficiaries have already been deployed to various firms.

The Project Director GIS of SURE-P pointed out that the Scheme can only achieve its desired result with the support of the private sector.

"It is clearly evident that government alone cannot deal with the issue of addressing youth employment challenges that we have and particularly build the manpower base that will help us achieve vision 2020 we have set for ourselves as a nation."

Of the firms that applied to be part of the Graduate Internship Scheme, 50 were considered for Lagos while Abuja had 40.

The major challenge of the GIS according to Mr. Papka is that the level of buy-in from the firms is below expectation despite the benefits they would enjoy.

"They get to enjoy free labour at government expense as government will pay the monthly stipends of the interns, they get to select the best interns to join their workforce and they get a cost-free opportunity to render their Corporate Social Responsibility."

In addition to that, "the project is also planning other incentives like tax rebates for companies registered with the Project," he explained.

He further said that as part of efforts to rev up the interest of such firms, jingles and TVCs have been put out to create awareness while a door-to-door has been initiated with firms.
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