Orient Magazine Issue 79 - October 2020 | Page 19

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NEWS:

MEMBER NEWS

X0PA AI announces a new initiative, "Empauwer,"; a Virtual Mentor for employers to make them more inclusive to hiring persons with autism and a virtual mentor for persons with autism to coach them through work-life. Empauwer will also have a job marketplace to connect employers and persons with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

The X0PA team won the Hackathon (Ai for Accessibility), organized by Microsoft in Singapore in 2019, which was the seed for this idea. This initiative, is supported by Microsoft, Microsoft for Start-ups, SG enable, Metta School & Pathlight. Empauwer will help the process of making workplaces inclusive, and creating more opportunities for persons with ASD.

Nina Alag Suri, Founder and CEO of X0PA said, “Its time to go beyond gender, racial and sexual orientation inclusion to make workplaces inclusive for neurodiverse persons with autism and help employers understand how to leverage the strengths of this talent pool”

Singapore headquartered, X0PA AI is a SAAS company that helps in talent acquisition, hiring, assessment and related areas that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning and combines it with automation for accurate, objective and efficient hiring at scale. X0PA AI has other offices across India, UAE, UK. X0PA AI is recognized by IDC as one of four innovative companies in Asia-Pacific that provide Artificial Intelligence powered automation solutions and is a partner of Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, Intel and Nvidia.

For more information, visit X0PA AI’s Empauwer website at www.empauwer.com

There are more than 300,000 seafarers currently stranded at sea and unable to get home as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact world trade.

As both local and global restrictions are still being enforced and affecting the ability of ships to enter or leave ports around the world. The IMO is reinforcing its call on governments to immediately recognize seafarers as key workers to ease their plight and enable crew changes to be made.

Aderco, the fuel treatment technology specialists, is backing this call from the IMO and the other regulatory maritime bodies to support seafarers across the globe. There are already reports of some seafarers who have been at sea and unable to leave their ships for more than 17 months, a period which exceeds the 11-months limit set out in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC). This is unacceptable and Philippe Lecloux, Aderco Group Head of Marine, says they fully support the efforts of the maritime world to resolve this situation.

“On land we have all been affected in some way by the global pandemic but at least we are able to access friends and family even in some limited ways. Seafarers are unable to do these things and are suffering from mental and physical issues as a result of their situations. Aderco supports the campaign to help these seafarers return to their homes and families and we are proud to stand alongside some of the leading maritime bodies who are working hard to achieve a resolution for these dedicated men and women.

The global economic recovery will be driven by maritime shipping and seafarers will be pivotal in keeping the industry driving forward. At Aderco we are adding our support to this campaign; through donating candies and sanitary kits parcels which are arriving with each Aderco delivery in Singapore waters to show our appreciation and support for these often forgotten mainstays of the maritime world.”

Aderco

Backs Calls

for Seafarer Intervention

X0PA AI Announces “Empauwer” for Employability of Individuals with Autism