EnterpriseNGR has graduated the sixth cohort of its Youth of Enterprise (YOE) Internship Programme, with the organisation describing the initiative as a practical response to youth unemployment and underemployment in Nigeria.

The graduation ceremony, held on Thursday in Lagos, marked the completion of six months of training and paid placements for young university graduates who interned with leading institutions in the financial and professional services sector.

Founded in 2022, the programme recruits, trains and places graduates in paid six-month internships at no cost to participants. EnterpriseNGR said it has received applications from more than 73,000 young Nigerians since its launch, making the programme one of the competitive entry points into the financial and professional services sector.

Addressing the graduates, the Chief Executive Officer of EnterpriseNGR, Obi Ibekwe, urged them to regard the completion of the programme as the beginning of their professional journey.

“Six months ago, you joined this programme as graduates with potential. Today, you leave as young professionals with experience, confidence, and a much deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the workplace,” she said.

Ibekwe challenged the graduates to keep learning, pursue excellence and support others as they progress in their careers.

“Someone believed in your potential before you had the chance to prove yourself. Now it is your turn to believe in yourselves, and one day, to believe in someone else,” she added.

The Head of Corporate Communications at EnterpriseNGR, Anthony Bidokwu, said the programme was designed to bridge the gap between the talent available in Nigeria and opportunities in the workplace.

According to him, YOE recruits young people from all geopolitical zones based on merit, reflecting the organisation’s belief that talent is widely available but opportunities are not evenly distributed.

“Nigeria does not have a shortage of talented young people. What Nigeria has is a shortage of bridges between that talent and the workplace, and the Youth of Enterprise is that bridge,” Bidokwu said.

The keynote speaker, human capital development expert and Founder of MindMould, Dr Abraham Owoseni, urged the graduates to approach their careers with a sense of responsibility and active citizenship.

“Leaders don’t just complete tasks; leaders see what needs to happen,” he said, adding that their professional roles should be viewed as a trust.

The programme’s impact was also highlighted by Adedoyin Owolabi, Vice President, Human Capital at Chapel Hill Denham, one of the employer partners. She disclosed that the firm hosted three interns from the cohort and subsequently employed two of them.

“They did not treat the internship as something to add to their CV; they saw it as an opportunity to show themselves,” Owolabi said.

She urged the graduates to recognise that qualifications alone would not determine their career progression, stressing the importance of character, competence, work ethic and continuous learning.

Presenting awards to outstanding participants, EnterpriseNGR’s Head of Programmes, Stella Nwihim, said the interns were assessed through aptitude tests, orientation participation, weekly feedback from employers, masterclasses and a group research competition.

The winning team developed a framework aimed at strengthening transparency in Nigeria’s civil service, while other teams worked on economic renewal and youth employment, as well as social media’s influence on political mobilisation among young Nigerians.

Top-performing graduates received cash prizes, letters of recommendation and career coaching.

“All Cohort VI graduates are winners. Move from transaction to contribution. Change your mindset, and change your life trajectory,” Nwihim said.

Testimonials from interns and alumni further highlighted the programme’s impact, with several participants saying they had been retained by their host organisations or secured other roles within the sector.

EnterpriseNGR also called on more organisations to join the programme as employer partners, saying they would gain access to a pre-screened and trained talent pool while contributing to efforts to address youth unemployment.

The organisation said the graduation reaffirmed its commitment to building a pipeline of skilled and resilient young Nigerians for the country’s financial and professional services sector.