The Edo State Government has commenced the Stream Seven of the Edo Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) Paid Internship and Apprenticeship Programme for 200 youths in the state.

The Managing Director of Edojobs, Ukinebo Dare, said 200 youths have been deployed to different organizations to acquire firsthand knowledge of how organizations operate and gain soft skills and technical experience in a real work environment.

She said the programme will help the beneficiaries gain knowledge and enhance their competencies and overall employability, noting that the programme is being organized in partnership with the German development agency, the Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).

According to her, the project is an arm of the Rural Youth Employment (RYE) to tackle unemployment in rural areas, adding that “having done other streams since 2018 which has impacted more than 1,700 youths, we thought it necessary to continue so that other youths can get the opportunity to become relevant in the workforce.”

Dare added, “As it stands, we are currently in stream seven. The target for this phase is to engage 200 interns and apprentices for a period of three months.”

The scheme, she noted, which began in June and ends in August targets youths residing in Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South, including returnees and persons living with disability.

Dare further stated that “the internship and apprenticeship scheme gives qualified candidates who have little or no experience in the corporate world, the opportunity to work within the organization for a duration of three months to gain valuable skills.”

One of the beneficiaries, Akhigbe Esther, commended the state government for the opportunity, adding that she applied and was surprised when she was called to come for screening and deployed to an organization in Ekpoma.