VIN-a-VEESA

To address the challenge of insufficient skills and unemployment, the VIN-a-VEESA digital platform consists of Empowerment/Endowment Funds, digital training, and job placement programme to overcome some of the barriers to job creation related to supply and demand for labour, and upskilling. 

On a WhatsApp chatbot (SEND: "join cold-lot"; REPLY WITH: "hi") the endowment fund, formed from donations, is used for MSMEs to hire and rate two job seekers (Volunteer Talents) for each available job position without the burden of payroll overhead. The volunteers rotate by each working half of the term of the job and receive a stipend from the fund. Simultaneously, they actively improve upon their employability, through digital training programmes such as Personal Development (PD) Programmes and Capacity Building Forums (CBF) for skills and character development. 

Additionally, this platform mitigates retrenchment during economic deflations or recessions while awaiting the stabilization of the world economy and employment market.

Unemployment is a global phenomenon which no country, including Nigeria is exempted from. It's a direct effect from high operating cost of companies with salaries and wages being a major expense overhead, for which some companies, especially in developing countries, have devised an alternative employment model called "Casualization of Workers", which is now popular in both public and private sectors, but is unpopular with government regulators and unemployed professionals.

Nigeria's National Bureau Statistics' (NBS) report of 2019 stated an alarming high unemployment rate of 23.1% (which they also reported will reach 33.5% by 2020), and underemployment of 16.6%. Unemployment will however now increase astronomically as a result of Covid-19 effects.

Also, one of the major causes of unemployment, which is skill shortage, occasioned by dearth of skilled personnel and entrepreneurial competence, inadequate capacity of vocational skill centres and the non-orientation of the educational system to the production of vocational skills that are aligned to industry requirements, will now also be further complicated with the addition of high skilled and experienced people who currently lost their jobs, all due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

“Volunteers’ Integration and Networking”; a “Volume Employment, Empowerment & Strategic Alliances” (VIN-a-VEESA) digital platform;

by ComPASS Innovations Clinic.

VIN-a-VEESA is a WhatsApp chatbot powered by AI that is integrated to payment gateways, online learning resources, and smart contracts aims to improve the quality and supply of labour. It facilitates rapid access to formal sector employment and work-related training for unemployed people, particularly the youth through the provision of training, entrepreneurial development, and job placement services. In essence, it should link those that have successfully completed the training to job opportunities without excessively increasing the salary expenses for MSMEs. Therefore, donors who believe in employment and economic growth will lower poverty co-finance salary expenses through an endowment fund.

Step-1: Donors contribute to the endowment fund by making donation of at least $1 per month.

Step-2: Job-seekers register and complete training courses and programmes that will equip them with industry relevant skills and rate their level of competence.

Step-4: MSMEs register and hire two job-seekers that will rotate for the same job position and remunerate them with a stipend from the endowment fund.

Unemployed individuals and MSMEs will be served.

Nigeria’s 2019 under-employment rate was 16.6% (24,9m), unemployment rate was 23.1% (34.65m), and also reported will reach 33.5% (50.25m) by 2020.  This rate has been adversely impacted by Covid-19.

Also, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) represents one of, if not the most important sector of Nigerian economy. It currently represents 96% of businesses, contributing 75% of National employment. Of the 17.2 million MSMEs, over 17 million are micro-enterprises. Thus, growth in this sector directly correlates with economy growth as a whole and employment level throughout Nigeria.

We will advocate for employed citizens to be "Personal" and "Corporate Socially Responsible" towards the unemployed, and sensitize more Nigerians on the need to own their businesses and be self-employed.

VIN-a-VEESA's digital platform will allow recruiters of growing or start-up MSMEs, to seamlessly interact with job-seekers (Volunteer Talents) of their choice, engage and liberally employ two people for each job, on six months rotation per year, without interviews or burden of payroll overhead.

Skilled, Unskilled and Fresh, Volunteer Talents will get to build or gain work experiences, attend up-skilling trainings, while MSMEs can iteratively build a team of relevant productive talents over time.

Unemployment's attributes: MSMEs’ Poor Funding; Skill Shortage.

VIN-a-VEESA’s solution, Creates “Good Jobs” (Volume Employment), EmpowersMSMEs (Inclusive Entrepreneurship); Workforce’s Up-Skilling Trainings (Strategic Alliances) for future workspace. 

Advocacy leverages on "Ubuntu" for:

Donations: Creating Social Safety Net (Employment Subsidy Fund); 10% of_50.25million unemployed, Accesses Living Wages, empowering/Supporting engaged “Volunteer-Talents” achieve sustainable Financial Security;

Investors: Creating Empowerment Growth/Seed Capital Fund,  enabling 10% of_17.2million MSMEs, in Untapped Communities, Prosper, Create Good Jobs, through Access to Networks and Technology;

Vendors: Volunteer-Talents Up-skill’s knowledge, are Equipped Technologically, Digitally, with Durable Skills for future workspace.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform with "Blue Ocean Strategy" and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles. It identifies the dynamics between an individual's employed or unemployed status as basis for engaging the individual's participation which, once accepted as a fact of life, should guarantee an active commitment to the programme, regardless of employment status.

Volume Employment, Volume Enterprise Empowerment and Citizen's Collective Social Responsibility drives VIN-a-VEESA.

Typical agencies and portal recruitment process: Job-seekers posts CVs, gets interviewed; Gets screened before confirmation as employee.

• Pain-points: Time wasted recruiting one employee; CVs/Interviews misrepresent candidates; Experience required a hindrance;

VIN-a-VEESA's process: Subscribes and Builds a Profile; Gets recruited; Work 6months, Train 6months; Gets rated; Repeat process yearly.

• Gain-points: Candidates' Profiling more accurate; MSMEs and businesses Employ synergetic teams through Iterative process;

While several websites or Apps exist, they have limited functionality, both from tech and operational perspectives.

VIN-a-VEESA will deploy Universal Talent Dataset by www.plum.io, "People Science Made Simple". ...Why You Need Plum

• Powered by the scalability of Artificial Intelligence and the deep insight of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology.

• It consists of predictive people data that can be leveraged in every business unit.

• It breaks down the silo-ing of data in an organization. It goes beyond standard KPI’s HR departments love to collect, like absenteeism or time to hire. Companies hire, grow, and retain top talent.

The science of I/O Psychology meets the speed and scale of AI in one platform, named "Ultraviolet Technology" (Candidates + 10 Talents + Hiring Team).

Hiring Team: Collaborates to identify critical traits for success in a role by completing a brief survey.

Candidates: Complete an assessment quantifying their cognitive and personality traits.

10 Talents:

• Adaptable Ace
• Decisive Director
• Marvelous Manager
• Peacemaker
• Powerful Persuader
• Chief Communicator
• Diversity Champion
• Innovator
• Outcome Owner
• True Team Player

Plum.io is a turn-key Cloud based software program that uses cutting edge behavioral science + predictive analytics to identify applicants with the highest potential for future success and job fit. Co-founder Christine Bird gives us an update.

Why Scotiabank selected Plum: Scotiabank needed a resume alternative to predictively place applicants into the right roles, all while providing a value-added candidate experience and reducing bias. That’s why Scotiabank signed on with Plum—to enable their recruiters to efficiently identify high-potential talent at scale by understanding skill-sets over experience.

Caitlin MacGregor (Co-Founder/CEO - Plum.io) - June Upstart Talk

The Covid-19 pandemic invariable exposed this theory of change called "Ubuntu" (Zulu pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼù]), a Nguni Bantu term meaning "humanity". It is often translated as "I am because we are", or "humanity towards others", or in Xhosa,"umntu ngumntu ngabantu" but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".

Ubuntu: The One Word to Change How You Work, Live and Lead | Shola Richards | TEDxSouthLakeTahoe

It also focuses on four of the social values of Ubuntu (survival, solidarity spirit, compassion and respect/dignity) as outlined by Mbigi in his collective finger's theory, which underpin and influence African communities in South Africa.

The concept of MSMEs employing talents without burden of salaries requires alternative funding which is sourced from the employed citizens as donor and/or investors. This can only be possible with the mindset of "humanity towards others"

We are currently preparing for the pilot phase which is planned for 50 MSMEs & 500 Talents; with projections for 200 MSMEs & 200,000 Talents in the following year; and projection for 5,000 MSMEs & 5,000,000 Talents by the fifth year;

We are currently at CONCEPTUAL – Early (Pre-Start-up) Stage. Our Pre-seedfunding sources would be from (NIRSAL MFB - CBN's $111.1 (TCF) stimulus package (the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced the N50 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) as a stimulus package to support households and MSMEs); Solve 2020 Challenge; others). We will use the fund for Market Research and MVP development to validate Problem Fit, Solution Fit and Business Model Validation.

• Impact goals are 500 Active VEESA Candidate; with 50 Growth and Start-Up MSME entities achieved through strategic alliances with MSME associations.

By year three, we should achieve LAUNCH – Early (Start-up Infancy) Stage and seek Seed Funding from source like Bank of Industries Funds; CBN Intervention Funds; Incubator/Accelerator Hubs like: Y-Combinator etc., which we will use for Constructing a working prototype and Additional validation and legalities to further validate Problem Fit, Solution Fit and Business Model Validation.

• Impact goals are 3,000 Active VEESA Candidate; with 300 Growth and Start-Up MSME entities achieved through strategic alliances with MSME associations and partners.

With Increased Credibility, our START-UP should occur in Year 5 with Strategic Alliances and Series A/B funding for Scaling and Improving Operations and Cashflow needs, to validate Solution Fit, Business Model Improvements and Diversifying offers.

• Impact goals are 5,000,000 minimum Active VEESA Candidate; with 5,000 Growth and Start-Up MSME entities achieved through strategic alliances with MSME associations, partners and the Nigerian Government entities.

The key barriers for our solution:

External risks:

• Assess to funds: Insufficient funds will affect the projects reach
• Regulatory authorities insist that digital marketplaces are 'employers', resulting in significantly higher costs and bureaucracy.
• Lack of /Poor power supply.
•  Competition from New and existing entrants with VIN-a-VEESA for Talents.
• Inadequate access to resources will limit the quality of the project and the overall products
• High Internet data cost will limit the number of participants that will adopt the online learning

Internal risks:

• Key team members exiting.

Mitigating Barriers as follows:

External

• Access to fund/insufficient fund can be solved by seeking credible grants and challenge competitions for pre-seed funding.
• Partnership with government and policy advocacies can resolve issues with  bureaucracy from regulatory bodies.
• Alternative/renewable power would be deployed to power our office premises.
• Competition from new & existing entrants would be mitigated by deploying Blue Ocean Strategy to create uncontested markets.
• Inadequate access to resources is a function of poor networking or ineffectual partnerships, both of which we will actively pursue to redeem.
• Partnership with physical training providers will provide access to VEESA candidates and will resolve the issues of high internet cost.

Internal

• Founding team and senior leadership are all persuaded to commit long-term, with incentives.

N/a

We currently have 5 team members;

Full time - 1

Part time - 3

Consultant - 1

We have a clear vision of what is needed to be done with the motivation, right work experiences and skills set.

Coupled with the right partnerships and mentors we are looking for and will potentially get through SOLVE, we are confident and therefore, well positioned to build the requisite team to deliver the project successful.

Partners have been identified from both the public and private sectors including corporate partners, major donors, mentors and volunteers to meet specific needs of selected entrepreneurs. They shall be on-boarded in due course.

A combination freemium subscription, paid subscription & commissions.

• Freemium: Talent's subscription is free but may attract charges for additional features, services, or virtual goods.

• Crowdfunding (Donations): to create Social Safety Net for "Volunteer Talents'" Employment Subsidy Fund.

• Commission-based model (Investments): to create Social Safety Net for Enterprise Empowerment Capital Fund.

• Brokerage Fees: Recruiters/MSMEs pay subscription fees on Annual basis to recruit Volunteer Talents, and may attract other charges for additional features, services, or virtual goods.

• Premium Fees: Recruiters/MSMEs pay premium subscription fees on Annual basis to recruit Premium Talents, and may attract further charges for additional features, services, or virtual goods.

• Advertising supported model: may be explored considering the volume of Talents and recruitment agencies and businesses traffic projected on our various platforms.

Through a combination of:

• Sustained donations and grants;
• Admin fees on Investment Capital;
• Value-based pricing: Fees set based on how the customer values the product.

VIN-a-VEESA’s success requires professional technical assistance, human-centered design expertise, mentoring and finance which are all embedded in Solve.

MIT SOLVE thus provides us the ideal forum to refine, improve our approach to solving this challenge, collaborate and find new partners, and to connect to other thinkers and change-makers.  It will also grant us access to resources and teams of inspired people on the road to solving Africa's biggest challenge of the future.

We need strong partnerships to fully develop and understand our Business model and to further identify relevant Solution technologies we would require throughout our development stages.

Critical to our success is the discipline required to implement our Funding and revenue model under the guidance of effectual Board members or advisors who would oversee our Legal or regulatory matters to steer the business to $billion status. Marketing, media, and exposure, Monitoring and evaluation are all critical areas also requiring the right inputs from seasoned professionals.

Finally, partnership (and co-founder status) with Plum.io will assist us perfect on Talent recruitment process we desire.

All of which we can achieve through partnership with MIT-SOLVE.

COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

• MIT-Solve

TALENTS & PROFILING:

• Plum.io (Co-Founder Status option available);
• Blue Ocean Academy (Global Network Access);
• National Youths Service Corp (N.Y.S.C);

MSME CONTACTS:

• Association of Micro Entrepreneurs of Nigeria (A.M.E.N);
• Nigerian Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (NASME);
• FATE Foundation - MSMEHUB.org;
• Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI);
• Association of Business Development Professionals in Nigeria (ABDPIN)

NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AGENCY PARTNERSHIP:

• Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),
• SMEDAN's: Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (L.I.F.E);
• SMEDAN's: National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP);

NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP:

• Office of the Vice President of Nigeria;
• Nigerian State Governors (Lagos; Ogun; Rivers & FCT in particular);

NIGERIAN FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP

• Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN);
• Bank of Industry (BoI);
• Microfinance banks in Nigeria;

Refugee camps presents an opportunity for applying "Blue Ocean Strategy" to create uncontested market which we will explore by applying "Blue Ocean Shift" principles.

(BLUE OCEAN SHIFT and Non-disruptive Creation)

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform with "Blue Ocean Principles" of:-

Strategy -  simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Refugee Entrepreneurs or Business can easily emerge and be empowered equally.

Leadership - uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Growing and Start-up MSME Leadership (and Talents) would be taught Leadership principles and values to promote refugee resilience, self-reliance and integration.

Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating" and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• A focus of Blue Ocean Shift, Humanness - "Ubuntu", organization's humanistic process, naturally adopts Refugee Inclusion.

• Through VIN-a-VEESA's digital platforms, refugees can build their profiles and get recruited, especially for roles within their camps, within a reasonable radius, or remotely for international roles that advances their financial inclusion.

• They can become entrepreneurs and advance their economic inclusion.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform, based upon Plum's AI platform, "Ultraviolet Technology"; Boosting Diversity & Inclusion, identifying top-performing talent at the beginning of VIN-a-VEESA's talent pipeline, based on predictive and objective indicators—not resume bias.

• It is designed not to discriminate.

• It ensures equal opportunities for both genders.

(Plum Jam Session: Diversity by Design)

So, coupled with "Blue Ocean Principles" of:-

Strategy -  simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Individual  (pregnant, work-from-home) Women & Girl entrepreneurs or business can easily emerge and be empowered equally.

Leadership - uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Individual Women & Girl entrepreneurs or business gets trained for leadership; success and impact in their fields.

Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• Individual Women & Girl entrepreneurs or businesses do not need to compete, but differentiate themselves with their creativity.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform, based upon Plum's AI platform, "Ultraviolet Technology"; Boosting Diversity & Inclusion, identifying top-performing talent at the beginning of VIN-a-VEESA's talent pipeline, based on predictive and objective indicators—not resume bias.

• It is designed not to discriminate.

• It ensures equal opportunities for both genders.

Create. Don't Compete

So, coupled with "Blue Ocean Principles" of:-

Strategy -  simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Despite VIN-a-VEESA's Volunteering strategy with living wages as stipends, Working-age Adults entrepreneurs or business can easily emerge and be empowered equally.

• They can be engaged by growing/start-up MSMEs as professional consultants; board members or mentors which will attract good pay post covid-19 season.

Leadership - uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Leadership Trainings for Working-age Adults (and retirees) will position them for success as Consultants and Mentors.

Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• Working-age Adults entrepreneurs or businesses do not need to compete, but differentiate themselves with their creativity.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform, based upon Plum's AI platform, "Ultraviolet Technology"; Boosting Diversity & Inclusion, identifying top-performing talent at the beginning of VIN-a-VEESA's talent pipeline, based on predictive and objective indicators—not resume bias.

• It is designed not to discriminate.

• It ensures equal opportunities for both genders.

(BLUE OCEAN SHIFT: Why Companies Need To Create New Demand.)

So, coupled with "Blue Ocean Principles" of:-

Strategy -  simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Despite VIN-a-VEESA's Volunteering strategy with living wages as stipends, Adult entrepreneurs or businesses can easily emerge and be empowered equally.

• They can be engaged by growing/start-up MSMEs as professional consultants; board members or mentors which will advance inclusive economic growth post covid-19 season.

Leadership - uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Trainings for  Adults will include Leadership, up-skilling and greater digital literacy which will position them for success as Consultants and Mentors.

• They will have the option of physical location (within walking distance) or online digital platform through various strategic partnerships we will create.

Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating" and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• Adults entrepreneurs or businesses do not need to compete, but differentiate themselves with their creativity.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform, based upon www.plum.io Universal Talent Datasets, "People Science Made Simple". Powered by the speed and scalability of Artificial Intelligence and the deep insight of Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology, in one platform named "Ultraviolet Technology" - (Candidates + 10 Talents + Hiring Team), which is designed not to discriminate.

(Plum is a matchmaker for jobseekers)

• It ensures equal opportunities for both genders.

• It consists of predictive people data that can be leveraged in every business unit.

• It breaks down the silo-ing of data in an organization.

• It goes beyond standard KPI’s HR departments love to collect, like absenteeism or time to hire.

• Companies hire, grow, and retain top talent.

So, coupled with "Blue Ocean Principles" of:-

(What is Blue Ocean Strategy?)

Strategy -  simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Despite VIN-a-VEESA's Volunteering strategy with living wages as stipends, Entrepreneurs or businesses can easily emerge and be empowered equally.

• Growing/Start-up MSMEs can engage professional consultants; board members or mentors which will advance inclusive economic growth post covid-19 season.

Leadership - uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Trainings for  Talents will include Leadership, up-skilling and greater digital literacy which will position them for success as Consultants and Mentors.

• They will have the option of physical location (within walking distance) or online digital platform through various strategic partnerships we will create.

Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• Entrepreneurs or businesses do not need to compete, but differentiate themselves with their creativity.

VIN-a-VEESA is an Integrating and Networking digital platform of Volunteers with "Blue Ocean Strategy" and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles. Combined together, it provides a framework for a solution with the potential to significantly impact millions of lives through the creation of new businesses and environments devoid of competition, for the creation of millions or jobs, powered by a low interest, low entry barrier Empowerment Capital Fund pooled from the contributions of employed citizens, through advocacies' based mainly on "the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity".

Volume Employment, Volume Enterprise Empowerment and Citizen's Collective Social Responsibility drives VIN-a-VEESA.

The platform identifies the dynamics between an individual's "employed" or "unemployed" status as basis for engaging the individual's participation which, once accepted as a fact of life - that "one could be employed today but unemployed the next day, with or without cause", should guarantee an active commitment to the programme, regardless of the individual'semployment status on further acceptance of another fact of life that "I am because we are", or "humanity towards others".

So, the application of ...:

"Blue Ocean" Strategy -  The simultaneous pursuit of differentiation and low cost to open up a new market space and create new demand;

• Provides VIN-a-VEESA with an implementable framework where existing Growth MSMEs can co-exist and thrive better with greater opportunities for success, while Start-up MSMEs can create new jobs in enough volume to impact on unemployment.

"Blue Ocean" Leadership - The uplifting performance by converting disengaged employees into engaged ones and motivating people to excel and act with commitment;

• Growing and Start-up MSME Leadership (and Talents) would be taught Leadership principles and values to promote resilience, self-reliance and integration.

"Blue Ocean" Shift - How to move yourself, your team and your organization from competing to creating" and "Ubuntu" as its guiding principles;

• A focus of Blue Ocean Shift is Humanness or "Ubuntu" which will govern our organization's humanistic processes, adopting its four social values of SURVIVAL, SOLIDARITY SPIRIT, COMPASSION and RESPECT/DIGNITY, which will naturally transfer unto  participants through our digital platform for Inclusive growth at scale.

• Through VIN-a-VEESA's digital platforms, talents on our digital platform can build their profiles and get recruited for roles easily, within a reasonable radius, or remotely for international roles that advances their financial inclusion which can ensure volume employment.

• They can become entrepreneurs and advance their economic inclusion.