The National Youth Service Corps and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria have agreed to establish a joint technical team to implement a partnership focused on youth mentorship, corps empowerment, and career development.
Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, Director General of NYSC, expressed the Scheme's readiness to collaborate with organisations committed to youth development and national integration during a courtesy visit by CIPM leadership to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja.
He noted that corps members consistently show eagerness to embrace initiatives that add value to their service year and future careers, stressing the importance of manpower development in preparing young Nigerians for the labour market.
The Director General disclosed that both organisations would constitute a joint technical team to refine and implement the proposed areas of collaboration.
Oluwatoyin Naiwo, Registrar and Chief Executive of CIPM, had proposed that the Institute be given opportunities to make presentations during NYSC Orientation Courses, aimed at exposing corps members to workplace expectations, structured career planning, and professional development pathways.
She explained that CIPM remains the only statutory regulator of human resource management practice in Nigeria, established by an Act of Parliament in 2004.
"As of today, we have over 20,000 certified members, including senior public officials, and we operate five zonal offices nationwide, with our headquarters in Lagos," Naiwo stated.
The CIPM Registrar commended the NYSC for its sustained efforts in mentoring young graduates for leadership roles and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for job creation.
Naiwo stressed the need for corps members to become more familiar with CIPM and to receive proper guidance on post service career opportunities, noting that many young graduates complete their service year without clear direction on professional development.
The proposed collaboration would see CIPM bringing its expertise in human resource management and professional certification to NYSC orientation camps nationwide, where corps members gather for their initial three week training before deployment to their places of primary assignment.
Both organisations acknowledged that the successful implementation of the partnership could significantly improve employment outcomes for corps members by exposing them to industry standards and career planning tools during their service year.
