Ready to Work, based on the motto “Bringing possibilities to life”, is a Pan-African empowerment and development programme that supports the transition from academic life to the world of work. It is an initiative created by Absa Bank Group with the aim of empowering young people by equipping them with the skills needed to conquer the job market and providing them with job-search and self-employment tools that will help them achieve their ambitions. At the same time, by becoming a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, the Bank has made a public commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Ready to Work programme, like others the Bank has been implementing, such as the Graduate Programme and its support for Xiquitsi, is proof of the institution’s alignment with the 4th and 8th Sustainable Development Goals, which are, respectively, ensuring access to inclusive, equitable and quality education, and promoting sustained economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.
Created in 2016, the Ready to Work programme has already reached around 9,800 young Mozambicans
Created in 2016, the Ready to Work programme has already reached around 9,800 young Mozambicans. Absa aims to reach more and more young people, not only helping them develop a more realistic view of the job market and learn what they can do to stand out in it, but also to improve their success rate when applying for job opportunities or starting their own businesses. This year, two weeks after the launch of the campaign, the programme already had more than 1,000 applicants, which is extremely positive.
The training is cross-cutting across all fields and is divided into 4 modules: professional skills, interpersonal skills, financial skills and business skills. The modules give a clearer view of the job market, including relationships with people, money and entrepreneurship, preparing trainees as well as possible to find job opportunities or even start their own business. The training is intended for all young people and young adults in Mozambique aged between 16 and 35, who are finishing secondary, technical or university education and who wish to develop the key skills and abilities to take part in the working world.
Although forced to launch the programme in digital format to meet the demands imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Bank quickly realised the great advantages of this model since, compared with face-to-face training, it makes it possible to reach many more interested people, whether Mozambicans anywhere in the country, from the Rovuma to the Maputo, or even young Mozambicans studying in the diaspora.
Absa always aims to underpin and deepen its Citizenship strategy, centred on young people and the planet, by supporting innovative, sustainable initiatives geared towards job creation. By helping to promote knowledge, innovation and the integration of young people into society on the basis of equal opportunities, it is helping Mozambique find the means for greater self-affirmation and economic development. We live in a world of uncertainty in which the economic reality demands intellectual preparation, creativity and innovation – in short, a growing development of skills. Absa is convinced that investing in young people is to believe in the strength of Africanness, the institution’s motto.
The Ready to Work programme, entirely free of charge, allows participants to learn everything from how to build a CV to preparing for their first job interview and the subsequent steps of working life. This year, to publicise the opening of registrations for the programme, the Bank launched a strong marketing and communication campaign, working in parallel with, and in contact with, a number of institutions in the country and in the diaspora.
This is yet another initiative with a direct impact on the lives of young people, one of the factors that drives Absa. Since its creation the programme has been adjusted so that it reaches a greater number of young people. The expectation is that Ready to Work will have more editions and will be a benchmark in Mozambique for many years.
