Lagos govt launches job initiative for youth

The Lagos State Government has launched the ‘Jobs Initiative Lagos’ programme for youth in eight Lagos-based tertiary institutions.

According to a statement on Tuesday by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Tokunbo Wahab, the programme is designed as a complementary training for students in final and penultimate year in entrepreneurship, employability and basic digital skills required for the workplace.

Mr Wahab noted that the essence of the programme is to fill the documented gaps in the current curriculum that is essential in the employment market and enhances the employability of graduates in Nigeria’s commercial hub.

He said candidates who register through www.jobsinlagos.ng and complete the programme will get an opportunity to be featured on jobs portal from where partner corporate organisations can select fresh graduates for recruitment.

Mr Wahab disclosed further that the initiative will run alongside a more robust digital skills campaign ‘Digital Skills Initiative Lagos’ www.dsilagos.ng aimed at empowering over one million young people in the state by 2023 with digital skills, which will invariably position Lagos as the tech hub of Africa.

According to him, students in secondary schools in Lagos would have access to well-trained instructors while those out of school would be able to access digital skills training and various internship opportunities as they complete the programmes.

He said, “The projects are being coordinated by LoftyInc Allied Partners Limited – an innovative development company that grows start-up teams, manages innovation programmes and facilitates impact projects in West Africa”.

Mr Wahab explained that the first phase of the ‘Jobs Initiatives Lagos’ kicked off in June and will continue over the next four months leveraging on the virtual learning platform, while the ‘Digital Skills Initiative Lagos’ will commence virtually until the ease of the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He maintained that the two programmes are in sync with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the present administration in Lagos State, wherein education is a key pillar with a multiplier effect on human capital development and ecosystem.