09 Oct SOS CV Nigeria Setting the Bench Mark for Youth Employment

“I had believed that once you get good grades in school and you work very hard, the right job just finds you. But it was not the case in my story, when the opportunity to sharpen my skills came through The Next Economy project (TNE) in April, 2017, I took it without any regrets. After the first 6 weekends, I had to quit my job to attend the 2 weeks employability training at Guardian of the Nation International (GOTNI), a non-profit youth leadership development organisation and it was a very educative and impactful 2 weeks. Afterwards I got 3 job placement through the contacts I made while on TNE”. These are the words of Rose Omonuyi a beneficiary of the SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria Next Economy Youth intervention.

Youth unemployment is high on the list of economic challenges faced by young people in Nigeria. Through ‘The Next Economy project’, SOS CV Nigeria and SOSCV Netherlands, with support from Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is currently leading action to empower young people through increased access to entrepreneurship training, advisory services and linkages which helps young people meet the demands of the labour market.

The TNE intervention guides beneficiaries through internships to access decent and full employment. SOSCV Nigeria partners with other training and educational organisations to provide the necessary skills to ensure our youth can succeed in the current labour market.

Abdulmuiz Olawuwo is one of the young person who participated in the first batch of the 2019 Next Economy Training and was in the Employability Track group. He is currently an assistant Team Lead for Vaccine Network for Disease Control. “The next economy program has been a very amazing eye opener and I wish more people will tap from this golden opportunity, It has made me begin to explore my potentials, and most of all my network. TNE is not just a program, But a FAMILY,” according to Abdulmuiz Olawuwo

Another beneficiary Usman Yusuf Danladi also affirms, “TNE has been able to set a benchmark for my life before and after. The after part of it, is a story of a man fulfilling his dreams. I have since then attended series of interviews and currently, I manage a hospitality organization in Central Business District of the Capital City, I also run an event outfit of my own with a team of professionals”

 Applicants who join the TNE programme, go through a 3-month introduction, with six intensive trainings sessions. During these sessions, applicants will build on general work and life skills that they can use for any future career. Participants of this programme are young people between the ages of 20-35 and the intervention is currently running in Nigeria, Somaliland, Mali, Somalia and Kenya.