EFC, Unilever launch Employability Initiative

Unilever Sri Lanka has collaborated with the Employer's Federation of Ceylon (EFC) to fulfill Unilever's corporate responsibility objective of increasing employability among the youth of the nation. Unemployment among entry level job seekers is an issue the EFC is actively attempting to address by offering a program that will introduce the soft skills which employers are seeking for in candidates.

The result is the EFC - Unilever Employability Initiative which is the first such venture to be inaugurated in Sri Lanka. This initiative will be launched on September 30, while the eight module program will begin on the October 7 and run over a period of eight weeks.

The EFC Director General Ravi Peiris, expressed his concern for the lack of relevant information available to young job seekers about the actual nature of the workforce. "While the country presents youngsters a choice of many higher education institutions offering various paper qualification, there is little information available regarding the soft skills such as work ethic and the right attitude employees should possess when attempting to enter the work force.

The EFC - Unilever Initiative is in line with the International Labour Organization's Decent Work Agenda and a survey was conducted at the beginning of this year probing key employability criteria among the member organizations of the EFC, the findings of which are soon to be reported," he said.

The EFC has ensured that this program will give participants a well rounded exposure to the expectations of the corporate world.