The Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) is aimed at providing Nigerian graduates with quality temporary work experience that will make them stronger candidates for job openings in the labour market through a one year internship placement.
GIS is one of the Social Safety Net (SSN) project of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment programme (SURE-P) With the determination of the present administration to achieve measurable improvement in the lives of Nigerians, subsidy on the importation of petroleum products was removed in 2012 following which Federal Government, intent on dousing the overall impact of the withdrawal on the society set up the Subsidy Reinvestment & Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) to articulate and implement this policy.
SURE-P logo
The SURE-P, which comprises of a wide-range of intervention programmes, has 2 main components namely; Infrastructure Development projects (Such as; Niger Delta Development Projects, Road and Bridges, Rail Transport, FERMA Preventive Roads Maintenance Projects) and the Social Safety Net (SSN) projects.
Some of the SSN interventions include:
- Community Services, Women and Youth Employment (CSWYE)
- Maternal and child Health (MCH) services.
- Urban Mass Transport.
- Vocational Training Scheme.
- Public works.
The Community Services, Women and Youth Empowerment Project comprises the Community Services Scheme (CSS) and Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS).
PROGRAMME RATIONALE
It is common knowledge that majority of the unemployed youths are graduates who have no working experience and are most times rejected by employers who prefer experienced hands.
The GIS was introduced to address the plight of these graduates consistent with the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to tackle Youth unemployment and thereby reduce Youth restiveness in the country.
Under the scheme, graduates will be placed in firms and organizations, non-governmental organizations and selected government agencies, on a one –year internship.
The interns are expected to acquire professional skills, training and work experience to improve their job-placement opportunities.
The Federal Government will be responsible for paying a monthly stipend to them while participating institutions will be expected to provide adequate opportunities for training and mentoring.
OBJECTIVES OF THE GRADUATE INTERNSHIP SCHEME
- The Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) has the following objectives:
- Enhance the employability of at least 50,000 unemployed graduates in the 36 states of the Federation and in the FCT by improving their skills base through internship programmes in pre-selected organizations
- Provide a safety net and income supplement for unemployed graduates
- Reduce the vulnerability of unemployed graduates
- Build manpower base towards attaining national development options.
GIS PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
GIS is being implemented by a Project Implementation Unit in the Federal Ministry of Finance. It is headed by a Project Director under the leadership of Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Honourable Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala.
The Project is overseen by SURE-P Committee headed by Dr. Christopher Kolade. Following strategic publicity and sensitization, interested Nigerian Graduates meeting the programme criteria submit their application through an online portal (www.wyesurep.gov.ng). The UK Department of International Development (DFID) is providing some technical support.
Unemployed individuals whose qualifications range from Higher National Diploma (HND) and university graduates and have completed their compulsory National Youth Service Corp or were exempted are eligible. Interns will be placed in firms/organizations/institutions that have expressed their willingness to participate in the GIS and are duly registered.
Employment under the scheme is short-term, and interns would be required to exit after 1 year. To achieve the project objectives, the PIU has rolled out a series of activities such as:
- Soliciting for prospective firms/Institutions/Organizations·
- Call for Expression of Interest
- Selection of Interns
- Awareness workshops
- Pre-training and orientation Workshops for Interns
- Submission of a mentoring Plan
- Biannual review of Interns by PIU and Annual performance Review.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
1.Interns:
- Must be a citizen of Nigeria (with a valid ID)
- Must be committed for a period of one (1) year
- Must not be more than 40 years of age at the time of joining the Scheme (birth certificate or Statutory Declaration of Age required)
- Must submit a CV/Résumé online at www.wyesurep.gov.ng
- Must make available ALL original documents for sighting at point of selection
- Must be holders of HND and/or degree
- Must have completed the mandatory NYSC or have been Exempted
- Must submit a statement detailing how his/her participation in the GIS would improve his/her employability and be beneficial to the nation, in not more than 2 pages.
2. Firms/Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs):
- Must be registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and other relevant professional bodies as applicable;
- Must provide evidence of VAT Registration and Tax Clearance Certificate;
- Must be prepared to provide a mentoring plan for each intern, detailing specific activities to which intern should be engaged.
- Be able to employ interns for a period of one (1) year.
- Must prove that they are economically viable and engaged in legitimate business with audited accounts, etc.
3.MDAs/State-Owned Enterprises
- Must provide a justification for using interns and in what specific area of its operations;
- Must provide mentoring plan, including duties for which intern would be responsible.
SURE-P GIS INTERN SELECTION
- All applications are done online
- Firms/organizations are categorized based on locality, sector/sub-sector and number of vacancies;
- Interns are categorized based on locality, field of interest/study and skills sets;
- Interns are auto-matched to already verified firms/organizations primarily based on their locality, field of interest/study;
- Matching is done on first-come, first-served basis
- Verification will be conducted for matched interns
- Firm/Organization is informed by email that the requested interns have been identified;
- Upon confirmation from firm/organization, the intern is deployed after completion of orientation
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE:
- The maximum duration will be 12 months;
- Interns are to work within the standard working hours of the firm/organization/institution;
- The total number of days interns put into the work shall not exceed 240 days in a year;
- The intern is expected to report to a designated supervisor in the firm/organisation/institution;
PAYMENT:
- The beneficiary will be entitled to a monthly stipend of N18,000 (eighteen thousand naira only).
- Eligibility for payment is subject to the submission of a Timesheet/monthly report by the designated supervisor of the firm/organization/institution.
- Interns will be required to open a bank account, (if they have not already done so) through which stipends will be paid.
- There will be no cash payments of stipends. Note: All transaction costs for maintaining a bank account by beneficiaries shall be borne by the Project.
EXITING THE GRADUATE INTERN SCHEME:
The overall thrust of GIS is to provide the graduates the opportunities to translate the 1 year temporary engagement into skill enhancement and window for employment. To this end:
- SURE P GIS Interns will be encouraged to save part of their monthly stipend
- Interns are to identify possible areas where new skills could be applied;
- Participating firms/organizations/institutions will be encouraged to retain some of the interns; to this end, incentives such as tax rebates, opportunities for credit lines, awards, etc., for these firms would be explored;
- Federal Project Implementation Unit (PIU) will create a database of graduating interns and display same on website for job opportunities.
PROJECT DURATION
- The entire programme is estimated to run for 4 years (2012 – 2015) as first cycle.
PROJECT COVERAGE
- 36 states and the FCT
BENEFICIARIES
- Unemployed Nigerian Graduates
- Interested Firms/Organizations
ANTICIPATED RESULTS/OUTCOMES
- Employment opportunity for the Youths
- Youth development for self-actualization opportunities
- Reduction of unemployment and associated social challenge
- Government enablement to maintain up-to-date data on unemployment situation and guide for strategic planning
- Emergence of a database of pool of skilled graduates available for any employer
STAKEHOLDERS/PARTNERS
- Corporate Nigeria
- Government Agencies
- Unemployed Graduates
- Non Governmental Organisation
- Professional Bodies
- UK Department for International Development through NIAF
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GIS – SURE -P
Q. What is Graduate Internship Scheme?
A. Graduate Internship Scheme is the provision of quality temporary work experience to make unemployed graduates stronger candidates for job openings in the labour market as well as boosting their chances for self-employment.
Q. What is the current unemployment rate in Nigeria?
A. The current unemployment rate in Nigeria is put at about 23.9% (National Bureau of Statistics, World Bank 2009). This figure varies between geopolitical zones, states and age brackets with as high as 41.6% reported for youth in the 18-24 years age bracket (National Bureau of Statistics, World Bank 2009).
Q. What is the aim of the GIS?
A. The GIS aims to achieve the following by 2015:-
- Provide at list 50,000 graduates annually with quality work experience in the 36 States and FCT.
- Improve job placement options by providing opportunity to acquire professional skills, training and work experience through a one-year internship placement
- Enhance prospect of intern being retained after the completion of internship
- To build the critical manpower and capacity required for national development
Q. Who are the target beneficiaries of the GIS?
A. Graduates who are Nigerian citizens and have completed their NYSC.
Q. What is the GIS project life cycle?
A. The GIS is for one (1) year.
Q. How can one qualify to become a Graduate Intern?
A. Must be a Nigerian citizen, must be committed for a period of one (1) year; must be between the ages of 18 – 40 years (evidence through birth certificate or age declaration); must submit a CV/Resume on-line, must make ALL original documents for sighting at point of selection, must be holders of degree equivalent or a higher qualification and must have completed the mandatory NYSC or exempted.
Q. Where can one apply to become an Intern?
A. All applications are made online at the website www.wyesurep.gov.ng
Q. How will an Intern be selected?
A. All selections are done online through an automated matching process. Interns are matched to verified firms/organizations based on locality, field of interest/study.
Q. Which firms or organizations will these interns be placed?
A. Interns will be placed in pre-selected institutions that include but not limited to, private sector companies, non-governmental organizations and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) requiring services in area of specialization.
Q. How can firms/organization qualify to participate?
A. Must be registered with Corporate Affairs Commission and other professional bodies applicable, must provide evidence of VAT registration and Tax Clearance Certificate, must be able to employ interns for a period of one (1) year, must be prepared to provide a mentoring plan for each intern and express interest by registering on line.
Q. How much is the monthly stipend of a GIS beneficiary?
A. A graduate will be paid N18,000 per month.
Q. Will the interns be given additional remuneration by their employers?
A. That will be at the discretion of the employer.
Q. Who is responsible for remunerating the Interns?
A. The Federal Government of Nigeria will be responsible for paying a monthly stipend to the graduate interns while the participating institutions will be expected to provide adequate opportunities for training and mentoring the interns
Q. How will the Intern’s remuneration be paid?
A. Upon receipt of performance report/monthly time sheet from organization, each intern will be paid a monthly stipend by the Project Implementation Unit (PIU). Payment shall be made directly into accounts of each intern.
Q. What is the take-off process after selection of firms and interns?
A. Upon selection, matching and deployment of graduate interns to firms, orientation sessions will be organized for hired interns, firms and organizations and designated GIS supervisors in each state
Q. What is the end process for interns?
A. GIS Interns that have completed their one year are automatically disengaged
Q. Can a graduate intern re-apply upon completion of the Scheme?
A. Graduate Interns cannot re-apply upon completion of the scheme.
Q. How will supervision of the GIS be carried out?
A .Supervision will be carried out by designated persons in various organizations e.g. mentors and State level independent monitors will carry-out random spot checks on Interns within the State. Federal Project Implementation Unit (FPIU) is expected to undertake spot checks during missions to states.
Q. How will disputes arising from the implementation of the GIS be resolved?
A. A complaint mechanism is established to ensure that areas of disagreements between interns and organizations are resolved.
Q. Who has the mandate for implementing the GIS?
A. The GIS Project Implementation Unit based in the Federal Ministry of Finance is responsible for the overall coordination; administration and management of the GIS.
Q. What are the instruments for implementing the GIS?
A. Guidelines for Interns and Mentors, General code of Practice for interns and mentors, Mentoring Action Plan, Mentor Assessment of Intern, Intern Feedback form. These instruments are available on the website.
Q. What is the exit strategy or transition plan for the GIS?
A. The success of the GIS will hinge strongly on opportunities of ensuring that interns are either retained, gain employment elsewhere or become self-employed.
Q. How can I access information about GIS?
A. Information about GIS can be obtained from our website at or or on Twitter: @SUREPGIS; on Facebook
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