Context
Youth unemployment rates in Nigeria are staggering. Approximately 32 million youth in Nigeria are unemployed (National Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Yet, a market trap persists whereby otherwise promising candidates are overlooked because they lack soft skills. Indeed, although young people make up the majority of Nigeria’s workforce, there are important behavioral, technical, and industrial skills gaps that make this population “unemployable” (World Bank, 2014). Unless addressed, Nigeria’s youth will lose a golden opportunity to break out of the cycle of poverty and Nigeria will lose the opportunity to harness its demographic dividend to spur inclusive economic growth. In addition, the absence of basic business training among the vast majority of young entrepreneurs guarantees the failure of their business ventures within the first year of launch. These business aspirants too cannot unlock their potential to build viable business models.
The Employability and Entrepreneurship Programme (EEP) is the flagship project of the Abuja Global Shapers. Launched in September 2013, it is designed to help bridge the skills and knowledge gap among young job seekers and entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
Achievements so far
- Trained 539 participants trained on CV writing, interview preparation, effective communication.
- Organised career fair during leadership conference featuring 16 employers – at least 6 participants have since been employed in the automotive and security industries.
- Acquired electronic impact assessment tool that enables real-time tracking of workshops, participants and skills acquired.
The Vision
- Train 7,000 youth in employability skills and behavioral competencies
- Provide business mentoring and coaching to 3,000 emerging entrepreneurs
How We Work
Our project has two components: employability and entrepreneurship. The employability component is a series of workshops that address the most common skills gaps identified by employers in Nigeria, including interviewing skills and workplace behavioral competencies. During the 3-hour sessions, participants get the opportunity to experience the perspectives of employers through role-plays. Participants who successfully complete the programme are then connected to job opportunities.
The entrepreneurship component is designed to provide support to young entrepreneurs to scale their businesses through three services: startup bootcamp, tailored business services and Enterprise Training Development Course (ETDC). Tailored Business Services will provide businesses with essential services required to set up and run a business including drafting a business plan, legal and accounting services, etc. The startup boot camp will provide training to young entrepreneurs in three core areas: strategy, operations, and risk management. ETDC will provide business-training courses on marketing, business communication, value chain management and project management.
