As young Africans continue to struggle to transition from education into sustainable employment, Jobberman and the Mastercard Foundation have begun the process of placing over 500 young professionals in a 12-month workplace experience programme in Nigeria.

The development followed the official onboarding of participants into Phase 2 of the Mastercard Foundation Associates Programme, implemented by Jobberman, with the beneficiaries set to gain practical workplace experience across different host organisations.

The associates had previously completed the recruitment, matching and offer acceptance stages before being formally welcomed into the placement phase.

The onboarding introduced participants to workplace expectations, professional responsibilities, programme milestones, and the support available throughout the 12-month placement.

However, beyond the immediate workplace experience, stakeholders at the event stressed that the ultimate measure of the programme’s success should be whether the participants can secure sustainable employment after completing their placements.

Country Head of Programmes, Jobberman Nigeria, Olamide Adeyeye, congratulated the associates and urged them to take full advantage of the opportunity by developing practical skills, building competence and remaining open to discovering new career interests.

He encouraged the participants to approach the placement as an opportunity to acquire skills and demonstrate their value to prospective employers.

Also speaking, Head of People, Culture and Administration, LEAP Africa, Antonia Nnabuko, said the programme was designed to ensure that Associates understood the expectations placed on them as well as the responsibilities of the organisations hosting them.

Nnabuko stressed that completing the 12-month programme should not be the end goal, noting that its impact should ultimately be reflected in participants’ ability to secure continued employment.

The Mastercard Foundation Associates Program is a pan-African youth employment initiative that Jobberman implements across West Africa. It provides young people aged 18 to 35 with employability skills, structured workplace experience and ongoing support to ease their transition into meaningful employment.

Building on the first phase, Phase 2 is expected to place 3,650 young professionals across Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

The programme emphasises inclusive employment, with about 70 per cent of beneficiaries targeted to be women. It also seeks to create opportunities for persons with disabilities and internally displaced persons.

For some of the participants, the placement represents more than an opportunity to gain work experience, with the programme providing a pathway to clarify career interests and build professional direction.

One associate, Olusegun Elisha, described the opportunity as an answer to his search for career direction, saying the programme offered more than a job by providing a structure for planning his professional future.

Another associate, Toluwalope Ajayi, said the opportunity was particularly significant to her because she had always wanted to practise journalism before developing an interest in media and communications.