INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
Vodafone launches world’s
largest international future
jobs programme
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Getting young people into work
Over the last year, Vodafone has worked
with specialist psychologists, careers
advisers and training providers to develop
a smartphone-based service called the
Future Jobs Finder. The service offers
young people a simple but comprehensive
gateway to new skills and opportunities for
employment in the digital economy.
The first step in the Future Jobs Finder is a
series of quick psychometric tests designed
to identify each individual’s aptitudes and
interests and then map these to the most
appropriate job category in the digital
economy. In the second step, the individual
is directed to specific job opportunities in
their chosen location, including opportunities
with Vodafone.
V
odafone has announced the launch
of a groundbreaking international
future jobs programme, ‘What will
you be?’, to provide career guidance and
access to training content in the digital
economy for up to 10 million young people
across 18 countries. The Vodafone digital
skills and jobs initiative is the largest of its
kind in the world.
In parallel, Vodafone also announced plans
for a significant increase in the number of
young people brought into the company
to gain direct experience of the digital
workplace. Vodafone will expand its existing
graduate, apprenticeship, internship and
work experience schemes worldwide to
reach a total of up to 100,000 young
people by 2022.
The two initiatives were announced as
Vodafone published the results of a major
international public opinion survey revealing
the extent to which young adults aged
18–24 believe they are ill-equipped to
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INTELLIGENTCIO
participate in the digital economy despite
being the first generation to be ‘born digital’.
The International Labour Organization
(ILO) estimates that more than 200 million
young people are either unemployed or
have a job but live in poverty. In many of the
countries in which Vodafone operates, youth
unemployment is at record levels, from 38%
in Italy and 39% in Spain to 47% in Greece
and 53% in South Africa. Previous studies
have found that a prolonged period of
unemployment shortly after a young person
leaves education to enter the workforce can
have a lifelong negative effect on individual
confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing.
Paradoxically, unemployment among young
people is rising just as businesses of all types
and sizes are struggling to fill a wide range
of digital technology roles that are critical for
future growth. The European Commission
estimates that around 500,000 digital jobs
across the European Union will remain
unfilled by 2025.
Users can also access relevant online digital
skills training providers, with many of these
courses available for free. On completing the
tests, users also receive a summary of their
skills and interests that can be used on their
CV or in a job application.
Getting young people into Vodafone
As a leading technology company, Vodafone
has a strong employer brand recognised by
young people. In each of the 26 countries
in which Vodafone operates, there are well-
established graduate, apprenticeship and
internship schemes as well as a wide range
of work experience opportunities including
coding classes for high school girls. Over
the next five years, Vodafone will double
the number of opportunities offered to
under-25s to experience the world of work,
reaching a total of 100,000. This represents
the largest commitment to training and
development of young people since the
founding of Vodafone 33 years ago. n
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