Bühler Nigeria (www.BuhlerGroup.com) and the Swiss authorities cooperate to expand the Trainee and Intern Development Program at Bühler’s office in Lagos. The program, which is supported by a grant from the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), started in January 2023 and will provide training to 48 young candidates in technical and supportive functions by December 2025.

According to The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 70% of Nigerian children are going through a learning crisis. A recent report on the topic revealed that 53% of 10-year-olds could neither read nor write. This negative trajectory is carried forward and is further fuelled by the challenging political and economic climate in Nigeria. The youth unemployment rate stood at a staggering 53% in 2020 (Source: National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria).  

Rewarding and stable jobs are scarce in Nigeria. In combination with the extreme living conditions in the country, many educated and highly skilled young Nigerians are leaving the country. Nigerians even coined their own phrase for it: “(to) japa”, which means (to)run, flee, or escape in the local Yoruba language. 

Bühler embraces its corporate responsibility to contribute to providing young, talented Nigerians a promising future within their home country. Bühler’s biggest leverage for this is employment combined with training and education. By investing in education and training, Bühler aims to give the Nigerian youth the tools they need to succeed in life and reach their full potential.  

The program 

“This Trainee- and Internship program is an excellent example of a successful public-private partnership between the Swiss authorities and Buhler Nigeria Limited in the framework of the Migration partnership between Switzerland and Nigeria. The project aims to support young Nigerians in their education, enhance their professional capacities and technical skills as service engineers and commercial employees through high-quality training structured similarly to Swiss VET, and thus ease their access to the Nigerian labour market and give them an economic perspective in Nigeria. In addition, trainees are given the opportunity to gain international experience in Switzerland and other countries during their training. Switzerland is proud of this collaboration. Together we can achieve more – in Nigeria for Nigeria!” – Nicolas Lang, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and ECOWAS.

The partnership comprises of a traineeship (two years) and an internship program (six months). The best graduates will be offered a full-time position within Bühler Nigeria. 

The program also aims for 30% to 50% female participants to promote diversity and inclusion. To extend the program’s reach, Bühler has partnered with the Nigerian charity organization Trinitas Foundation, which supports talent engagement and selection. 

Bühler looks forward to this exciting project and thanks the Swiss Secretary for Migration (SEM) and the Trinitas Foundation for their partnership and support.