Speaking on the need to bolster employability of young university graduates and the commitment in retaining job for 50% of interns over the last three years, Mrs Millicent Kargbo, Communication Officer, National Youth Commission (NAYCOM) has on Friday disclosed to Awoko the 2016 Graduate internship project (GIP).
Reacting on the core initiative of the said project, Madam Kargbo maintained that the GIP is geared towards promoting youth potential, creativity and skills for youth employment and national development.
Madam Kargbo further stated that the 2016 GIP is a collaborative effort of the Ministry of Youth through the NAYCOM with support from the United Nations Development Programme to help graduates have a pre-knowledge about the working environment in both the private and public sectors and to help create employment for young people.
Revealing some of the positive impacts the GIP has made over the last three years in retaining employments for over 50% of interns, Madam Kargbo also highlighted some of the benefits that are rendered to interns during the four months project.
Deliberating on the decentralisation of the project, Madam Kargbo went on to say that the GIP is a nationwide initiative that caters for Sierra Leonean graduates in all the different regions in the country.
In her statement, she elaborated on some of the criteria for the eligibility of the GIP stating that applicants should be not more than 35 years and should have completed a degree course or equivalent certificate or higher national diploma during the last three years.
Lamenting on financial constraints, large number of applicants and the unavailability of placement of interns in both the public and private sectors, Mrs Kargbo said she encouraged relevant authorities to support what she described as a brilliant effort by the commission to help in the development of Sierra Leone as a whole.
In her plea for more placements of interns and financial support towards the GIP, Madam Kargbo also recalled on the ugly impacts of the ebola outbreak, which she said disrupted the entire programme especially with regards to the operations of some mining companies, which before the outbreak retained majority of the interns.
By Sylvia Villa
Monday June 27, 2016
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