Tag: Job seekers

Google, Ministry of Youth And Sports Partner To Support Entrepreneurs, Job-Seekers

 

Google on Tuesday announced plans to help business owners, job seekers,  educational institutions, and vulnerable populations as they grapple with the “new normal” and begin to rebuild and recover from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis locally and across the continent.

The tech company’s initiatives will address the need for funding, training, and services across identified sectors, including support for 500,000 SMBs and 25,000 teachers.

According to a statement by Google, this support includes a partnership with the Nigerian Ministry of Youth and Sports Development. The partnership aims to provide support for youth-owned SMBs.  It will also provide support for job seekers in Nigeria to help them acquire marketable skills through certification and training programs, and involve supporting programs that enable and improve access to quality education across the region.

READ ALSO: Nigeria’s Inflation Hits 13.22%, Highest In 29 Months

A digital hub has been set up by the tech giant to provide free tools and resources to businesses and individuals. Through the hub, 500,000 small businesses will receive help getting online or improving their digital presence through Google My Business (GMB) which helps them connect with millions of users every month.

“Small businesses have been hardest hit during this period. Many of them have had to figure out quickly how to pivot their operations to a ‘digital-first’ approach. Yet, there remains a gap between those who can access these online opportunities and those who can’t. That’s the gap we want to bridge with these initiatives,” said Google Nigeria Country Director Juliet Ehimuan.

Google.org has also set aside $3million in grants to nonprofits that support education, entrepreneurship, and women empowerment across Africa. $500,000 of that is going towards a grant to the Praekelt Foundation (a software development non-profit that builds open-source, scalable mobile technologies and solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of underprivileged people) in order to help train micro and small businesses in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare said the country is focused on creating an enabling environment that promotes youth and economic development in Nigeria.

“This partnership with Google in Nigeria is critical at this period and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on SMBs’ recovery, enhancing the skills of jobseekers and supporting the education sector,” Dare said.

In an effort to help job seekers acquire new skills while they look for opportunities, Google is providing underserved communities and job seekers with $750,000 in IT support scholarships through Google.org across Africa. Job seekers can also access the Grow with Google training portal for help in growing their careers or businesses at their own pace and through flexible and personalised training courses.

Google is also giving a grant of $250,000 to organizations in Nigeria which are developing programs and tools to boost literacy for children in low-income schools in the country.

The tech gaint is also launching a new Marketing Kit tool to help people to put together marketing kits for their businesses while the free Market Finder tool (which includes updated insights for negotiating a COVID and post-COVID environment) is there to help with localisation, international payments and logistics for African businesses looking to reach new customers around the world.

Indonesia Ministries Ban Pregnant, Disabled, LGBT Job Seekers – Report

Map of Indonesia

 

Several Indonesian ministries are banning pregnant, disabled, or LGBT job hunters in favour of what one called “normal” applicants, the Ombudsman said on Friday, slammed as “arbitrary and hateful restrictions” by a rights group.

The report comes as the world’s biggest Muslim majority country takes applications from millions of candidates who are applying for some 200,000 civil-service jobs nationwide.

Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of some 260 million, has seen a jump in discrimination against gay and transgender people in recent years — while sexism in the workplace is also prevalent.

On Friday, Ombudsman Indonesia commissioner Ninik Rahayu said an investigation found that the defence and trade ministries as well as the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) were discriminating against candidates in their job advertisements.

“The Defense Ministry prohibits pregnant women from applying for a job, while the AGO and the trade ministry ban transgender people,” Ninik told AFP.

“(The AGO) even made a hurtful statement that said ‘we only accept normal people’,” she added.

“Banning people from applying for a job simply because they are transgender is not acceptable and is a violation of human rights,” she added.

The Ombudsman called on the ministries to revoke their hiring policies but only the trade ministry has so far complied, Ninik said, adding her office first noticed the discrimination this year.

On Thursday, an AGO spokesman told reporters that the institution banned gay and transgender applicants in favour of “normal” candidates.

On the AGO’s website, it said job applicants must not be colour blind, physically or “mentally” disabled including those who have ‘sexual orientation disorders (transgender) or LGBT'”.

The restrictions amounted to a “hate-based policy”, said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

“Indonesia should be trying to recruit the best and brightest to its civil service, not applying arbitrary and hateful restrictions,” he said, calling on the respective ministries to ditch the rules.

“This is against both Indonesia’s constitution and its obligations under international human rights law,” he added.

We Do Not Collect Money From Job Seekers, EFCC Warns Applicants

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised an alarm over the activities of fraudsters duping ignorant job seekers warning applicants not to fall victim.

The anti-graft agency’s Head of Media, Mr Wilson Uwujaren in a statement on Tuesday warned applicants not to fall victims into the tricks played on their intelligence.

READ ALSO: Court Grants EFCC Warrants To Arrest Ex-DSS, NIA Bosses

Uwujaren said that the agency’s employment process is open and transparent and cannot be compromised through bribery.

“Some unscrupulous individuals are seeking to exploit the current recruitment exercise in the commission for private gain by soliciting payment from unsuspecting job seekers in order to facilitate their employment into the commission.

“This is a scam and members of the public are warned not to deal with anyone with such proposition as the agency does not collect money from job seekers. Candidates that participated in the recent aptitude test by the Commission should avoid falling prey to tricksters by shunning any promise of employment for a fee,” he said.

He further advised members of the public to report any request for money for employment into the Commission at the nearest office of the EFCC or the nearest police station.

Analyst Seeks Improved Standard Of Education

johnson chukwuFor the private sector to promote inclusive growth and job-creation, the Federal Government must be more proactive in creating business in enabling environments.

The CEO, Cowry Assets Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, who was on Business Morning  advocated the need to improve the quality of education in the country and recommended that skill acquisition should be a part of early learning.

He urged policy makers to come up with policies and initiatives to encourage private sector participation in developing the real sector.

According to him, if some major challenges hindering the smooth running of businesses are addressed, the private sector will be able to contribute more to economic growth and create more jobs.

He highlighted some of the challenges which include lack of adequate power supply, multiple taxation, poor transportation network among others.

Mr. Chukwu says this will help increase the competence of job seekers and reduce unemployment in the country.

NLC Protest Death Of Immigration Job-Seeking Applicants In Kaduna

IMG-20140317-00448The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) today (Monday)  led a peaceful protest to the Kaduna State command of the Nigerian Immigration Service to express their anger and demand explanation from the authorities over  last Saturday’s recruitment exercise that claimed  the lives of about 19 applicants. 

The angry workers led by the NLC Vice President, Isa Aremu, arrived the Immigration office as early as 7:30am, blocking the entrance and preventing officers of the command from gaining access to their offices.

The workers, who sang anti-government songs, also carried placards carrying various inscriptions. They demanded to see the State Comptroller of Immigration in order to drop their protest letter, but officers on duty denied the protesters access, insisting he was not on seat.

The peaceful protest almost resulted to a fracas when some of the Immigration officials attempted to push the protesters away from the gate, but for the timely intervention of some soldiers attached to the protesters.

The defiant workers insisted that they would not leave the premises until they present their letter to the State Comptroller of Immigration. They also demanded the resignation of the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro.

The protests caused traffic gridlock along the popular Independence Way in the state capital where the immigration office is located.

Addressing journalists at the gate of the Immigration office, NLC Vice President, Isa Aremu, demanded for an immediate compensation to the families of the victims, as well as assurance from Government that such avoidable deaths would stop.

Fake INEC Staff Jailed 6 Months

A 24 year old man who claims to be a staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in Cross River State has been sentenced to 6 months imprisonment.

Mister Emmanuel Silas was convicted today by a magistrate court for fraudulently obtaining between 12,000 and 4,000 Naira from different job seekers for employment in INEC.

INEC commissioner in Cross River State, Mister Mike Igini has advised Nigerians to beware of such characters as INEC does not collect money as processing fee for employment.

7 Job Seekers Die During Fitness Test In S. Africa

South African media say provincial authorities are investigating the deaths of seven job-seekers who collapsed in the heat while undergoing a fitness test for positions as traffic officers.

The chief transport official for KwaZulu-Natal province, Willies Mchunu, has suspended further test in the meantime.

The state-owned South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that several tens of thousands of people took the fitness test late last week, even though only 90 jobs were available. They were required to run four kilometres (2.5 miles) in temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), and many collapsed from dehydration and heat exhaustion. Some received hospital treatment.

South Africa’s official statistics show that the unemployment rate is 25 per cent, an indication why so many were applying for the 90 jobs.