Vodafone Uganda joins career expo bandwagon

March 23, 2017 in Companies, Policy, Technology & Telecoms by Editor

March 24–Vodafone Uganda, a leading 4G network provider, is currently taking part in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Career Expo which kicked off on March 13 and ends on April 25, with visits to various universities around the country.

The expo is intended to prepare university students for the workplace.  It brings together employers, recruiters and job seekers, alongside professionals in different fields to give students and an idea of what is needed in the job market and share advice for careers that lie ahead of them. The Vodafone Uganda University Youth Programme is designed to support young people explore, realize and appreciate their potential and uniqueness.

“The Brand Ambassador Programme, one of our flagship programmes, allows the sharing of personal experience at work in the different company departments, to enable interns gain on the-job training and make informed career decisions. Our partnership with NSSF in this cause is to inspire a generation of innovative, entrepreneurial and forward thinking young leaders with a can-do attitude,” Progress Chisenga, the Vodafone Uganda Marketing Director said.

The expo will cover Makerere University, Makerere University Business School, Kyambogo University, Kampala International University, Uganda Christian University, Ndejje University, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Gulu University, Uganda Martyrs University (Nkozi) and Muteesa Royal University.

A student in the Brand Ambassador programme gains hands-on work experience, receives mentor-ship and leadership guidance, enhances professional skills and has an opportunity to earn an income. Selection for the Brand Ambassador programme is based on, among other things, academic prowess and or leadership and social media influence.

Traveline Kezabu, a third-year student studying Bachelor of Economics and Applied Statistics at Kampala International University joined the Brand Ambassador programme last year in October. She is grateful to have made it into the programme where she is gaining the relevant work experience in the Customer service, Marketing and Sales departments.

The programme is flexible and allows the Brand Ambassadors the flexibility to carry on with classes without any clashes. She recommends the programme to all university students, the experience they will gain is invaluable.

According to ACODE, youth unemployment and job creation report 2014, youth unemployment stands at between 64% and 70%, and about 400,000 youths are released annually into the job market to compete for approximately 9,000 available jobs.

One of the reasons for this influx (according to Mastercard Foundation 2015-16 Youth Think Tank Report), is the skills mismatch in which the formal education system has not produced hands-on skilled young people ready to confront the challenges of securing sustainable employment or growing a profitable business.