The communications giant has rolled out the ground-breaking initiative across 18 countries, including New Zealand
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Communications giant Vodafone could be helping companies fill the future talent gap after it launched an international jobs program earlier this week.
Spanning 18 countries, the “What Will You Be?” program is the largest of its kind in the world and aims to provide career advice, digital skills and jobs for up to 10 million young people – including Kiwis.
The initiative comes after Vodafone commissioned a major international survey of 6,000 adults aged 18-24 who believe they are ill-equipped to participate in the digital economy despite being the first digitally-native generation.
Of the New Zealand respondents, 44 per cent worry they lack the skills to get a job they will enjoy, 48 per cent think the hardest challenge for their generation is finding a well-paid permanent job and 31 per cent think most jobs will be replaced by machines in the next 50 years.
Worryingly, a huge 70 per cent said they haven’t had adequate careers advice, with much of the guidance focused on traditional jobs, rather than the opportunities evolving in the digital world.
“Over the last year, Vodafone has worked with specialist psychologists, careers advisers and training providers to develop a smartphone-based service,” said Antony Welton, HR director with Vodafone New Zealand.
According to Welton, the the Future Jobs Finder offers young people a “simple but comprehensive gateway” to new skills and opportunities for employment in the digital economy.
“It consists of quick psychometric tests to identify aptitudes and interests, then maps these to the most appropriate job category in the digital economy,” he said. “There’s also access to online digital skills training providers, with many of these courses available for free.”
