By introducing an innovative online career counselling platform, Kenyan company TuConnect is making a daring move in the rapidly changing fields of education and career development. This portal is intended to meet the increasing need for easily available and customized career guidance, particularly for job seekers, young professionals, and students in Kenya and throughout Africa.
Given the difficulties presented by the quickly evolving labor market and the mounting pressure on educational institutions to prepare students for the profession, TuConnect’s platform debut coincides with a more urgent need than ever for career mentorship and assistance.
The goal of TuConnect is straightforward: to enable people to make well-informed decisions about their career pathways by offering trustworthy, useful, and actionable career advice. The portal offers everything from career assessments to professional guidance, job-search tactics, and even mentorship opportunities, all of which are designed to promote career development. Users can obtain information about various professions, relevant credentials, industry trends, and the abilities needed for success in this comprehensive area.
Founded in October of last year by three friends, Geoffrey Amadi, Collins Oduor, and Edgar Omondi, TuConnect recognized a gap in the job application process: approximately 40% of candidates find it difficult to make an impression during interviews, 75% of resumes are filtered out by applicant tracking systems, and 81% of recruiters reject applications based only on generic cover letters.
The TuConnect platform’s emphasis on individualized career counseling is one of its best qualities. TuConnect combines artificial intelligence (AI) and human knowledge to provide customized counsel, in contrast to typical career advising services that could provide generalized or wide recommendations.
In order to better understand users’ abilities, interests, values, and goals, the site invites them to fill out extensive questionnaires. After that, it gives users recommendations for careers based on their profiles, as well as details on certain job markets, industry prospects, and the credentials required to be successful in those industries.
Since the firm has only released a teaser for its product thus far, 500 people have joined its waitlist.
TuConnect aims to close the gap between school and work. In Kenya, many young people struggle to make the move from school to the workforce. They could find it difficult to find employment if they don’t have access to mentors or professional networks. In order to solve this, TuConnect provides online mentorship programs that pair users with seasoned experts from a range of sectors. These mentors assist mentees develop the abilities and confidence necessary for success by offering advice on anything from professional skills development to interview and job application preparation.
In order to help users advance their careers and maintain their competitiveness in a rapidly changing labor market, the platform also offers a variety of career development materials, such as webinars, online courses, and publications. These tools give users the necessary soft skills that companies are looking for more and more, covering a wide range of subjects like leadership, time management, effective communication, and personal branding.
Given the high prevalence of youth unemployment in Kenya and throughout East Africa, TuConnect’s effort is well-timed. The World Bank estimates that over 20% of Kenyan adolescents are unemployed, a problem made worse by a dearth of adequate career counseling, mentorship, and assistance for job searchers. By giving users the skills and information they need to thrive in the contemporary workforce, the platform hopes to reduce young unemployment in addition to assisting people in making well-informed career selections.
As the startup grows its services, TuConnect has the potential to positively impact the career trajectories of thousands of young people by giving them the guidance they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive global job market. TuConnect has also partnered with a number of businesses and educational institutions to increase the platform’s reach and impact, ensuring that users not only receive guidance but also gain exposure to job opportunities and internships, facilitating a smooth transition into their desired careers.
