Zimbabwe’s Muzinda Hub has launched a digital jobs platform, connecting potential clients looking for freelance developers with graduates on the Muzinda training programme.
Disrupt Africa reported in June Muzinda Hub announced graduates of its digital skills training programme would start offering digital services to market, such app production, website production, big data, social media management and other tailored solutions.
With 700 of Muzinda Hub’s 1,000-strong first cohort now graduated and ready to offer services to the market, the hub has launched a bespoke digital jobs platform, to facilitate its graduates securing outsourced work.
The web-based jobs platform allows a client to request the services of a developer either on an in-house or remote set-up or for a development job to be done. The platform allows the developers to be notified of the jobs that are available and allows them to create quotes and invoices and also to update the client in real time on the progress of jobs.
“As we have indicated previously, our ultimate goal is job creation and we will look to make sure that the jobs platform gets a lot of advertising behind it as we create capacity for the young developers,” Tendai Mashingaidze, manager of Muzinda Hub told Disrupt Africa.
“If we manage to get good traction on the jobs platform, it will prove our hypothesis that equipping young people with in-demand tech skills like programming is the way to go to create real jobs in the short-term.”
Mashingaidze said he is pleased with the 30 per cent attrition rate of the program is very good, and says it shows young people are willing to embrace the opportunity.
The hub expects approximately 10 per cent of graduates to go on and launch startups; with the hub already incubating a number of prototypes.
Mashingaidze has previously claimed the Hub’s programme is capable of tackling youth unemployment in Zimbabwe; and also told Disrupt Africa technology could provide the key to many of the social and economic challenges faced by Africa’s youth.
