By Olamilekan FAWAS
The Lagos State Government on Saturday said it would sustain the ‘Ready Set Work’ (RSW) initiative beyond the present administration in the state.
Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, aide to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode on Education, disclose distribute on the sideline of the 2018 ‘Ready Set Work’ inauguration in Lagos.
He said the programme would continue to run because Lagos State had shown consistency in the continuation of programmes that impacted the lives of Lagosians.
“In Lagos State, we have been able to show that administration after administration, the key programmes that are impacting Lagos positively are still running.
“We have had programmes which were initiated by past governors and they are still running today. As long as the programme is adding value, we will continue it,” he said.
Bank-Olemoh said he was optimistic that the present administration would continue to be in office for the next five years to guarantee the continuation of the programme.
“With the impact RSW is having, I can guarantee you that in the next five years it would continue to be a fabric of Lagos State.
He said the programme had impacted greatly on the students by giving them the opportunity to have real work experience.
“Most of the graduates we have trained go to Small Medium Enterprises and these SMEs are getting our graduates to work in their establishments with favourable conditions.
“We have a lot of our students working in these companies and as a state, we are happy that our students are getting real life and work experience.
“We are also happy that the SMEs which is the bedrock of any economy is getting top quality employees through this programme.
“Also, more organisations are reaching out to us to employ some of our students because they are seeing the impact of the programme on their workforce which is a plus for us,” he said.
Bank-Olemoh added that the state government, in partnership with the private sector, would continue to invest financially to ensure sustainability of the programme.
“Currently, we have close to 1000 students on internship and Lagos State Government is paying about 80 per cent interns N30,000 every month for six months, while 20 per cent are being paid by the private sector.
“The money goes directly into their account after they have been cleared for payment by their employers.
“We will also continue to have private sector partnerships as it would help strengthen the programme,” he said.
