South African automated recruitment platform and is also part of UNICEF’s Innovation Fund Investments in Skills and Connectivity, Giraffe has just announced that it has launched several free online courses that are tailored to improving the skills of job seekers to enhance their employability.
Anish Shivdasani, Giraffe CEO comments on the launch of the free online courses.
“We are excited to launch the new courses for jobseekers- especially at a time when youth unemployment is so high and job seekers are desperate for work, by making the courses and mobile learning management system open source, we hope that we can make a far bigger impact than just in South Africa.”
Team
Giraffe’s founders, Anish Shivdasani and Shafin Anwarsha, established the company to address South Africa’s dire youth unemployment problem. Since Giraffe is a social impact business, the founders went about building a world-class team of mission-aligned professionals whose primary motive was purpose, not profit.
Giraffe’s team now comprises developers, designers and commercial experts whose diversity reflects that of the South African ‘rainbow nation.’ The Giraffe team today reflects diversity in race, nationality, gender, disability and sexual-orientation. Having such diversity has greatly assisted building great products and a brand that resonates strongly with South Africans from all walks of life.
Free courses
The free courses have been tailored to target young job seekers within the medium-skilled demographic. It caters to job seekers who do not have a tertiary education and lack career guidance and insight into employment.
In an effort to cater to a wider demographic, the courses are accessible on mobile devices free of any data charges on the MTN and Vodacom networks. With its uniquely developed matching algorithm, Giraffe’s free courses are matched to users based on their experience and goals.
The following courses are available:
- What career suits your personality
- How to qualify for a job
- How to find a job
- How to prepare for interviews
- How to manage your finances
- How to behave in the workplace
The free education portal has been created with the support of UNICEF’s innovation fund and Generation Unlimited programme. As part of the initiative, Giraffe has enabled both the courses and the mobile learning management system open source and free to use by any organisation around the globe.
Sunita Grote, UNICEF Innovation Fund Manager comments on the free learning portal created by Giraffe.
“Our Innovation Fund helps us explore how frontier technologies can benefit children and young people. Giraffe is part of our investment cohort focusing on solutions that bridge learning gaps to improve employability – a challenge that has been further highlighted with the current and impending learning and economic crisis. This learning portal is free to access, and open source – contributing to a collection of digital public goods that can transform lives and advance humanity.”
Giraffe
Founded in 2015, Giraffe has created a platform that connects users with employment opportunities using matching algorithms to identify and contact relevant potential candidates. All of the selected candidates are screened for the job and prompted to submit a voice note motivating why they are suitable for the job.
Employers utilising the platform to find potential candidates can easily access these motivational voice notes via the dashboard available and select a suitable candidate for the job on offer. Giraffe has created a platform that seamlessly automates the process of recruitment, saving both recruiters and job seekers time whilst enabling employers to quickly find the best candidate.
Compared to other job portals, Giraffe focuses on entry and medium-skilled roles, which are relevant to the South African youth.
Businesses looking for staff can post a job online at www.giraffe.co.za. Giraffe then uses matching algorithms to identify and contact relevant candidates. Candidates who apply are screened for the job and then asked to submit a voice note explaining why they are suitable for the job. Employers can simply log in to their dashboard, see which candidates have passed their screening and listen to their voice notes.
Impact
Unemployment rates in South Africa are around 40%, with youth unemployment at around 50%. If the youth fail to get jobs, this can result in lifelong poverty extending to the future generations. Solving youth unemployment is therefore critical to reduce poverty and inequality, and to help young people improve their quality of life.
South Africa’s unemployment challenges relate primarily to the legacy of apartheid and the country’s poor economic growth rate. Among the issues impacting employability is the lack of education and skills that plagues South Africa’s youth.
Giraffe aims to improve jobseekers’ access and visibility of viable opportunities through its mobile technology and matching algorithms. Since launching, Giraffe has attracted over 1 million jobseekers and thousands of hiring businesses – both small and large – which use the platform to recruit suitable staff.
