EEDC moves to fight graduate unemployment in Igboland

AS part of its contribution towards job creation in Igbo land,  the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has employed 35 graduates into the second phase of its Graduate Trainee Programme.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that successful candidates who have already gone through the on-boarding process have been deployed to different sections of the company’s operations where they will be trained over a two-year period in all aspects of the company’s operations.

Further checks showed that the programme, which is patterned after some successful graduate traineeship programmes, is a conscious initiative by the management of EEDC to attract and develop the best and brightest young graduates from universities within and outside the country.

These individuals are expected to assume key roles as they become available within the organisation, as part of EEDC’s business continuity and human capital development strategy.

The Head of Communication of EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, explained, “the training has been grouped in two tracks. The first track comprises of Operations, Revenue Cycle Services (RCS), Project Management and Engineering; while the second track comprises of Finance, Administration, ICT, Procurement and Human Resources. The Trainees will equally have a feel of Customer Service, Regulatory, Communications and Safety operations.”

“During the period of the training, each candidate is to be assigned to a mentor who provides guidance as well as review their accomplishments and the challenges they may face in the course of their training period”, the EEDC image maker added.

He recalled that in November 2016, EEDC launched this scheme with 20 Graduate Trainees who were successful after the rigorous screening exercise.

According to him, “considering the high rate of unemployment in the country, EEDC, as a responsible corporate organisation is using the graduate trainee programme as its contribution towards providing employment to Nigerian youths.”

One of the trainees in the first batch, Kings Uchendu expressed appreciation to the management of EEDC for the opportunity, saying that the Graduate Trainee Programme was structured to groom and position them as leaders and sustainers of not only EEDC, but the Nigerian electricity service industry.

“There is hardly any situation I can’t handle right now and that’s an example of what is yet to come from all of us”, he said

Arguably, in South East, EEDC is the only private establishment with the highest number of employees, having employed over 1200 staff within the past eight months, and with a staff strength of over 4200.

The EEDC Graduate Traineeship Program is open only to Nigerian post-NYSC graduates with First Class or a Second Class upper division category from universities within and outside Nigerian. It is also open to post-NYSC graduates of Polytechnics with Distinction or Upper Credit category. Students must have studied Engineering, Physical or Management Sciences.