The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) has brought more than 300 young Lagosians together with prospective employers through a recruitment fair designed to turn employability training into actual job opportunities.
Eko Hot News reports that the initiative was organised under the LSETF–Kings Trust International (KTI) Employability Support Project in partnership with the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL).
The recruitment fair was held at Stella Hall, Ikosi Road, Lagos, as part of efforts to strengthen the transition from skills development to employment.
The programme is designed to equip young people with practical competencies while creating direct opportunities to connect with employers.
The Executive Secretary of LSETF, Feyisayo Alayande, was represented at the event by the Director of Programmes and Coordination, Oyindamola Egbeyemi.
Egbeyemi said the initiative reflects the agency’s broader approach to addressing unemployment by improving young people’s access to training, professional networks and employers.
She noted that many young Lagosians have the talent and ambition required to succeed but often lack access to the right opportunities.
According to her, creating access can help young people move from preparation to confidence and eventually to meaningful economic participation.
She urged participating employers to look beyond their immediate vacancies and consider the beneficiaries as an emerging pool of talent.
Egbeyemi also encouraged participants to approach the recruitment process confidently and demonstrate the skills acquired during their training.
She highlighted some of LSETF’s achievements over the past decade in supporting employment and enterprise development across Lagos.
According to the agency, its programmes have contributed to the creation of more than 320,000 direct and indirect jobs.
LSETF also reported that more than 173,000 jobs have been preserved through its interventions.
The agency said it has disbursed over ₦15 billion through more than 20,000 loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
More than 82,000 small businesses have also received capacity-building support through various LSETF programmes.
The Fund has further trained over 30,000 young people and supported more than 1,200 technology startups.
Through the Lagos Innovates initiative, LSETF said it has developed 3,300 talents across the technology and innovation ecosystem.
The latest recruitment fair adds another dimension to these interventions by connecting trained beneficiaries directly with businesses seeking workers.
LSETF Employability Project Officer, Ajibola Babalola, said the project is focused not only on training young people but also on ensuring that their skills lead to employment.
She explained that the programme targets 3,000 young people across Lagos between 2024 and 2027.
According to Babalola, more than 800 beneficiaries have already participated in the first cycle of the programme.
The second cycle is targeting more than 1,000 additional young people.
She said the project is structured around two major interventions known as Get Into and Get Hired.
The Get Into component focuses on vocational and technical skills designed to prepare participants for employment and enterprise opportunities.
The Get Hired component concentrates on soft skills and other competencies required to secure and retain employment.
Babalola disclosed that more than 300 young people participated in the latest Get Hired cohort.
The beneficiaries completed a four-week blended training programme combining online learning with physical sessions.
The training covered several areas aimed at improving participants’ readiness for the labour market.
Participants received guidance on CV preparation, interview techniques and professional self-presentation.
They also benefited from one-on-one coaching sessions designed to improve their confidence and performance during recruitment exercises.
The recruitment fair served as the final stage of the latest training cycle.
It provided participants with an opportunity to meet employers with available positions.
Babalola said employers were matched with participants based on their skills, interests and relevant sectors.
She expressed optimism that the recruitment exercise would result in meaningful job placements for participating young people.
The initiative is also expected to help employers identify trained candidates who can contribute to their organisations.
By connecting both sides directly, the programme seeks to reduce the gap between employability programmes and actual employment.
The LSETF–KTI partnership demonstrates an approach that combines training with practical access to the labour market.
The involvement of CVL has also supported the delivery of the employability component of the programme.
For beneficiaries, the recruitment fair provides an opportunity to apply knowledge gained during training in a real employment setting.
For employers, it creates access to a pool of young candidates who have received targeted employability training.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to improve economic opportunities for young people across Lagos.
LSETF continues to emphasise the importance of combining skills development with access to finance, networks and employment opportunities.
The agency believes that training becomes more impactful when beneficiaries can translate acquired skills into sustainable livelihoods.
The Get Hired programme is therefore expected to continue supporting young Lagosians as they navigate an increasingly competitive labour market.
As the project progresses towards its 2027 target, more beneficiaries are expected to receive training and connections to prospective employers.
The latest recruitment fair marks another step towards creating stronger pathways between young talent and businesses in Lagos.
Through initiatives of this nature, LSETF is seeking to ensure that young people are not only trained but also connected to opportunities where their skills can generate lasting economic value.
