Internship scheme director urges self reliance

Interns of the Federal Government’s Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) have been urged to use the opportunity offered by the programme to generate skills that could enable them create employment than wait to be employed.

Project Director, Mr Dennis Chukwu, stated this at the orientation and employability skills training for 50 interns held at the City Park Hotel, Enugu. According to him, the desire of government is to ensure that Nigerians acquired extra skills that would enable them get into productive ventures to contribute to the development of the country.

Chukwu stated that over 41,161 graduates have benefited from the scheme, disclosed that it has developed programmes in non-oil sector to have graduates trained, mentored and supported in such areas as non-oil export trade, ICT, agriculture, community health, construction, financial inclusion among others.

“Many graduates have used the GIS platform to distinguish themselves in their places of work. In the face of obvious challenges, they have defied the odds against them to be true representatives of their families, their community, the organizations where they worked and the country at large.”

The Managing Director of State Heights Limited, Temitope Atte, also charged beneficiaries of the Career’s Development and Entrepreneurship Skills training to reciprocate government’s gesture, by bringing new ideas that could promote productivity in various establishments.

Atte told interns at their training workshop held at the Blue Island hotel, Enugu that government was desirous in ensuring the development of other sectors of the economy.adding that nothing short of the best was expected of them during their 12 months internship.

All over the country and across all sectors, positive testimonials and encomiums have been pouring in from firms that have benefitted from the resourcefulness of the graduate interns, especially those that have been employed.

“Nigerians are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of internship in the life of graduates, especially those that are unemployed, in terms of the value they can add during the internship period as well as the benefits and skills they will develop”, he stated.

Explaining that he was sure the beneficiaries would succeed, he stated that of the 35,000 that have exited the scheme, thousands had been employed, many secured credit facilities and grants to expand their businesses they set up using the GIS stipends and other cooperative associations.