Government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Wednesday 22nd October 2020 commenced a four day training programme for young graduates to prepare them for an internship job placement programme. Implemented by the National Youth Commission (NAYCOM), the four day training will host 440 young female and male graduates from different recognised tertiary institutions across the country to be trained in batches of 100 in observance of all COVID-19 protocols.
The objective of the training is to provide the graduates valuable work experience and skills to: enhance their employability, contribute to lifelong learning, increase awareness among young people of job and career opportunities in the public and private sectors, and ensure equal opportunities to access merit based internship positions. NAYCOM Board Chairman James Vincent was delighted to be part of the 10th Graduate Internship Programme (GIP) which started some 10 years ago to pave the path for young graduates to acquire the right knowledge and skills to better prepare them for the job market.
He said COVID-19 has made doing everything more complex across the world, and if Sierra Leone is to be part of this new world order trend people in the public and private sectors should be able to meet the demands of modern day technology and digitalisation.
Vincent entreated the young, eager and inexperienced graduates to make use of the opportunity accorded to acquire the right skills, noting that there are thousands also waiting to grab such an opportunity they are fortunate to benefit from.
“This is the time for you to play your part well and demonstrate the skills and knowledge to be acquired in your various internship placement jobs to contribute to national development for the four months you will be deployed,” he advised. Dr. Fatou Taqi, the Director of Academic and Career Advisory and Counseling Services at Fourah Bay College, commended the funders and implementers of the initiative, saying that though resources are scarce, government decided to support young people to make them more relevant to the work environment.
Deputy UNDP Resident Representative Rokya Ye Diang recalled the many challenges governments are faced with across the world to address young people’s issues, noting that the situation in Africa is even worse, citing it as why the UNDP is supporting such programmes to assist young people to become better citizens.
“Among the interns, UNDP GIP funding package will support 440 young graduates and the selection criteria will depend on placement requirements, sensitivity to gender and affirmative action for persons with disability. It will ensure inclusiveness and would leave no one behind, which is one of the core values of the sustainable development goals.”
Madam Diang said through the graduate internship programme, young people are provided opportunities to gain valuable work experience to promote self-discipline and a reorientation to form habits which sustain the processes and actions leading to sustainable development.
“This orientation training session you are to receive will form part of the recruitment process to place you in various institutions,” she added.
Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs Luseni Kallon also commended the efforts of UNDP and NAYCOM to complement government in providing an enabling environment to train young people to become employable. Government, he said, cannot do it alone, and although the GIP is coming to a close, it has been a solution to solving youth unemployment in the country.
He added that government will continue to support and collaborate with partners who mean well for young people, and hoped that the training will empower participants with much needed work ready skills.
By Ade Campbell