Microsoft partners Nigerian outfit to fight youth unemployment

Microsoft partners Nigerian outfit to fight youth unemployment
NAN-H-33
Unemployment
By Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, Nov. 8, 2016 (NAN) Microsoft, global multinational technology company, on Tuesday says it has entered into partnership with a recruitment platform, gr8jobsng.com, to find solutions to the rising unemployment among youths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that U-Connect recently launched gr8jobsng.com, an online platform, aims to bridge the gap between job-seekers and employers.
Olusola Amusan, Philanthropies Lead at Microsoft Nigeria, said the partnership was aimed at creating opportunities for job seekers to meet with career experts and recruiters.
According to him, seekers would also learn to understand the job market and be positioned to take advantage of available jobs.
“A statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics earlier this year placed the unemployment rate of Nigeria at 10.4 per cent.
“The current statistics has revealed that 50 per cent of youths, ages 18 to 35 years, are either unemployed or underemployed.
“Unemployment is a global issue and its scope is growing with the youth bulge and economic downturn worldwide: Microsoft is committed to finding new solutions to address this problem.
“Microsoft in a bid to address the problem, organised a “Recruitment Day’’ programme to empower Nigerian youths with job opportunities in Lagos.
“This is to give job seekers opportunity to learn about important career, related subjects like CV writing, career planning and interviewing, among others,” he said.
Mrs Omomene Odike, Chief Executive, U-Connect, said that Gr8jobsng and Microsoft partnership were backing employment, improving employability and promoting understanding among job-seekers in the country.
“Job seekers will be given tips required to understand what it is to be before an interviewer or panel, as well as develop the relevant skills that they require.
“This would give them an edge in the overall job seeking process, including presentations, interviews and everything leading to the actual hiring,” she said.
She said that the partnership involved impacting much-needed knowledge on job seekers to understand the interview processes in order to make them employable.
Odike said that the online platform – gr8jobsng.com – was open for job seekers to learn and be hired through a simple registration process.
He said that the platform would enable job-seekers to present themselves in an efficient manner, allowing employers to select suitable candidates that embody the values, competencies and/or experience they seek. (NAN)
CAN/ENN/WOJ
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(Edited by Edwin Nwachukwu / Wale Ojetimi)