by Oge Okonkwo

Each year, only 40,000 out of the over 400,000 Nigerian graduates who pass out of the NYSC scheme get employment. Furthermore, only about 20 percent of the 40,000 graduates who get employed are in their desired place of work.

These are clear indications that the employment capacity of the country is inversely proportional to available job seekers. The employing capacities of multi-nationals and blue chip companies (which are the dreams of young job seeking graduates) that service hundreds of thousands of Nigerian Youth are relatively low.

As you may well know, RISE NETWORKS is an institution passionately dedicated to assisting Youth to express and achieve their highest feats in idea building, education advancement and wholesome human development.

After a much deserved hiatus taken to research and plan, the highly anticipated, national discourse on Nigeria’s Youth development blueprint, Rise National Youth Forum is finally back with this Year’s theme as NIGERIA BEYOND OIL; Strengthening Youth Entrepreneurship in the Next Most Productive Sectors), ENTERTAINMENT + AGRICULTURE + TECHNOLOGY – (EAT).

The highlight of the restructured Program is the BLUE COLLAR JOBS CAMPAIGN Initiative; a Strategic Focus on Vocational Skills. This year’s event will feature very experienced, skilled, knowledgeable Entrepreneurs and dynamic Change Agents as Speakers entrepreneurs who will teach/train Participants and also prepare their minds to compete in the “soon would-be” next most productive sectors.

The idea of the EAT Model is to begin to build capacity of young Nigerians to embrace radical change and innovation in preparation for the diversification of Nigeria’s Economy. If Nigeria’s Oil dries up today, these 3 Areas and other divisions of General Production are the major sectors that can guarantee the highest level of employment and Revenue as much as Oil and the barriers of entry into these Industries are pretty low. Nations like China, India, Japan, North Korea, have massively invested in human capital development which has led to tremendous economic growth in those nations. For instance, China is known to be the world’s fastest–growing major economy, the largest exporter of goods, and the largest manufacturing economy in the world. This feat was achieved due to the introduction of vocational skills to cater for the ever growing population which is set at above 1billion people.

This spectacular, life transforming, impact focused Program which has an indisputable track record of commanding the attention of the largest single gathering of Nigerian Youth in one Venue is coming to a city near you this December and January 2014.

In the exciting Rise Networks’ Quiz Competition, MTN Nigeria, the Program’s Lead Sponsor is giving out Windows 7 Premium Wireless Laptop + MTN Internet Modems and tones of Airtime. Participants will also get the chance to win best selling Leadership and Business Management Books and Material.

Rise Networks has also introduced Instructional Video Content on different areas of Vocation oriented and Production Centered Businesses and will launch and be made available to millions of budding Entrepreneurs on MTN Nigeria’s Online Digital Content Portal, MTN Play in December 2013.

Microsoft West Africa will also train and deploy the ‘MICROSOFT BUILD YOUR BUSINESS {BYB} Curriculum FREE to all the Participants at the Program, exclusively.

The Location roll call is below:

OWERRI on the 14th December, 2013. (#RiseYouthForumOwerri)

Venue: Rochas Convention Center, Okigwe Road, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

MTN (Lead Sponsor), Nescafe, Coca Cola, Close-up, OLAM and OMO

Online Media Partners are YNaija, Premium Times, OloriSupergal, BellaNaija, Linda Ikeji’s blog.

Executing Partners are the National Association of Small and Medium Scale Entreprises {NASME} and International Finance Corporation

The Guardian Silverbird Group, Channels and AIT are Media Partners.

ENTRY AND PARTICIPATION is FREE!

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To find more information, please visit www.risenetworks.org.