EFC-Unilever employability initiative

Together with the Employers' Federation of Ceylon(EFC), Unilever Sri Lanka looks to increase employability amongst entry level job seekers.

Unilever has collaborated with the EFC in order to fulfill its corporate responsibility objective of increasing employability amongst the youth of the nation. EFC is actively attempting to address the issue by offering a program that will introduce soft skills which employers seek for in candidates.

The EFC - Unilever Employability Initiative was launched on September 30 and the eight module program will begin on October 7 and will run over a period of eight weeks.

Director General of the EFC, Ravi Peiris said "While the country presents youngsters a choice of many higher education institutions offering various paper qualifications, 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 Organisation's Decent Work Agenda and a survey was conducted at the beginning of this year probing key employability criteria among member organisations of the EFC"

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

The topics of discussion will focus on the soft skills job seekers should develop to increase employability, the expectations of a prospective employer, and the rights and obligations of employees. There will also be an open discussion with company leaders so that participants gain firsthand knowledge of employers' aspirations.

Sandamali Perera, Human Resources Director at Unilever Sri Lanka, believes that partnering such an initiative is a responsibility of a multinational company operating in a local market. "Because of Unilever's global presence and expertise, Unilever Sri Lanka is privileged to have access to the latest tools and techniques of training and skills development. This, coupled with Unilever's reputation for being a training and development powerhouse, gives us the opportunity and responsibility to share this knowledge with the youth of Sri Lanka in order to produce employable Sri Lankan graduates", she said.

Marketing Director for Home Care and Foods at Unilever Sri Lanka, Asanga Ranasinghe said "This initiative is in keeping with the Unilever business philosophy of 'doing well by doing good'. We believe that creating deep rooted links with the communities that we serve is an integral element of our business.

The youth in this country are our future, and guiding them to do well through leadership is a key pillar on our agenda. We are honoured to be in partnership with the EFC in this endeavour."