41,000 Benefitted From Jonathan’s GIS Programme— FG

Job/Vacancy  Digest

LOKOJA—The Federal Government,
yesterday, said the Graduate Internship
Scheme, GIS, initiated by the administration
of former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,
was retained by the present government
because it had been able to reduce graduate
unemployment across the country.



Besides, the government said more than
41,000 graduates had benefited from the
programme, with over 35,000 already exited
and have secured jobs.
GIS Project Director, Ministry of Finance,
Mr. Dennis Chukwu, said this in Lokoja, Kogi
State, at the Career Development and
Entrepreneurship Skills Training for
beneficiaries of the scheme.
Chukwu said many of the graduates had also
secured credit facilities and grants to
expand businesses they established with the
GIS stipends, giving the breakdown of the
beneficiaries to include 68 percent male, 31
percent female, while the vulnerable had one
percent.
Chukwu, who was represented by Mrs
Memunat Usman, said the programme had
been able to give hope to many young
school leavers that would have been
roaming the streets.
Chukwu said: “As a government, we can
boldly say that the purpose of setting up
the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, which
is for unemployed graduates to acquire
employable skills is being achieved.
“However, as long as thousands of
graduates still remain unemployed, we will
continue to improve the capacity of the
scheme to absorb more applicants.”
According to him, the career development
and entrepreneurship skills training are
designed to help the beneficiaries answer
the question of ‘what next’ and begin plans
for the future.
He noted that the skills and experience the
beneficiaries acquired through the GIS had
placed them in a better position to
contribute meaningfully to national
development.