Pricilla Mukokobi
One of the biggest reasons Namibians do not land jobs is that they do not have compelling resumes or cover letters, says outreach project manager of the African Connection Boitshepo Pieters. This is why the organisation is trying, by all means, to help young people apply for jobs with professional resumes and well-written cover letters.
Thus far, African Connection has assisted 478 unemployed youth with professional curriculum vitae and 278 cover letters from 2020 to 2022.
“We provide a high-quality overview and coverage assistance to Namibians so they can match the standards of employers worldwide and stand out from their competition,” he told Youth Corner.
Pieters said research by African Connection shows that employers have indicated that poor CV write-ups from those entering the employment market are a severe concern.
He added the organisation does not encourage people to drop off their CVs for them to do it, but they teach people how to write a CV and the mistakes they should avoid to sell themselves to potential employers.
The organisation also assists with girls’ health and offers internships to students.
“With girls’ health, girls miss school during their periods because they can’t access sanitary pads, so we started donating to schools to level the playing field for girls to be in school. Our most recent donation was at Jan Jonker Afrikaner High School,” he said.
Among other skills, African Connection’s six-month internship programme also trains interns with Microsoft products and data plans to maximise efficiency. Through this programme, the organisation aims to prepare young Namibians to provide quality services, increase their confidence and proficiency in popularly requested technology, and actively offer payment to combat unemployment in Namibia.
The African Connection was founded in March 2020 by current president David Immanuel, with the mission of training and empowering young Africans to define their professional brands and thus enter higher education and employment with confidence.
“We target the youth of Namibia – those in high school, those out of high school, those moving into university, and those also in university who are about to exit out into the job market. We believe in youth empowerment because they are the future of our next generation. They need the skills to be empowered. They need to build the brand that will allow them to sell themselves to potential employers,” said Pieters.
He noted that they have a good team, working around the clock in America and Namibia to make sure the NGO runs smoothly. However, they seek donors to help strengthen their ongoing programmes.
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