trained 66 unemployed graduates in the state under its Graduate
Attachment Programme (GAP).
The GAP is an intervention designed to address the alarming level of
graduate unemployment in the country by providing them with transient
jobs.
The benefiting graduates must have completed the mandatory one year
National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) service but in some cases, holders
of the Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and the Nigeria Certificate on
Education (NCE) were also considered.
Mrs. Chika Onah, the State Coordinator of the directorate who made the
disclosure at a press briefing in Enugu on Monday said that the
graduates were selected from across the 17 local government areas of the
state.
Onah said that the GAP programmes had two batches, noting that the first
batch were 50 people while the second batch were 16.
The coordinator said that the first batch of 50 persons had concluded
their three months programme while the second batch of 16 were still
ongoing.
She said that the GAP was meant for unemployed graduates of tertiary
institution with NYSC certificate.
Onah said the beneficiaries were attached to various ministries,
parastatals, agencies and private sectors to get job experience.
The state coordinator urged the beneficiaries to put in their best
wherever they were posted as it might earn them permanent job.
She charged them to be NDE ambassadors wherever they found themselves.
In his speech, the Deputy Director of NDE, Mr. Tony Okum explained that
the essence of the programme was to expose them to labour market and to
get job experience.
Okum said that most times the beneficiaries might be lucky and get
retained if well behaved during the programme.
In her remarks, the Head of Department of Special Public Works, Mrs.
Lucy Nna said that GAP was one of the programmes under her department.
Nna encouraged the beneficiaries to be of good behaviour in their place
of posting as it may earn them better opportunity tomorrow.
While expressing their gratitude, two of the beneficiaries, Miss
Precious Akahalu and Mrs. Augustina Jideofor commended NDE for the great
job they were doing especially on the lives of unemployed graduates in
the state. (NAN)