Lagos ‘Ready Set work’ initiative overshoots participants’ target by 150%

Over 5,000 final year students registered for this year’s Lagos ‘Ready Set work’ (RSW) initiative training which kicked off at the weekend across the three designated locations in the state.

But only 2,000 of them (representing 40 per cent) eventually scaled through the rigorous selection process for the 13-week intensive training which is going on simultaneously at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Akoka; Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo and the Lagos State Polytechnic, LASPOTECH, Ikorodu, according to target.

The participating students, in addition to those from the three schools already named, are from the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, AOCOED, Ijanikin; Lagos State School of Health Technology, LASCOHET, Yaba and Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, MOCPED, Epe.

RSW is an entrepreneurship and employability initiative of the Lagos State government designed for final year students in tertiary institutions in the state to sharpen their knowledge, skills and attitudes for future challenges ahead of graduation.

The Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, disclosed the figure at the sideline shortly after he addressed the participants at LASU’s centre to declare the training open.

He noted that even registration for the 10,000 other students who are in their penultimate year and billed to close in July 25 for training to commence immediately online was almost fully subscribed.

Bank-Olemoh therefore promised that the number of participants for both sides-final year and those who will graduate two years’ time -would be jerked up from next year to accommodate more participants.

He restated that the programme, which entered second season this year, was free of charge and opened for any final year student in the six mentioned schools who is willing and ready to make career success through hard work in life irrespective of their courses of study.

He noted that the students from Yaba College of Technology and other tertiary schools in the state would join the train in future editions‎.

He asked participants to give the training all the deserved attention, saying only those who meet up with minimum of 85 per cent attendance would be graduated and about 750 who are outstanding among them would be placed on internship programmes with partnering companies spanning across the sectors of the economy or win funds to start-up businesses.