YOUTH-PLACEMENT TO EMPOWER, SUSTAINABLY

Cameroon has an estimated population of about 25 million people with 75% of the population made of youths. Statistics show that 85% of Cameroonians are unemployed and the most vulnerable, youths. Faced with the problem of not just unemployment, identifying their career-path is a major issue. We target both degree and dropouts and engage them into our training programs. We visit schools and universities to provide mentoring on how youths can identify and develop their true inborn potentials (making their Passion their profession). Further, we negotiate with Enterprises to provide training placement (internships, voluntary service and employment) for graduates. Also, we engage the less privileged (street children), provide them with basic reading/Writing skills, engage them in vocational trainings (craft), to develop their skills and knowledge in areas they are passionate about. This has created employment opportunities (reduce dependency rate) and handcraft for dropouts (free from drugs and crimes).      

With the Covid-19, topping the chart as the number one problem affecting every country in the world today. USA is said to be the most affected as it has destroyed millions of jobs creating unemployment for millions of people (unemployment rate stands at 8.4 percent, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics August 24, 2020). The one million dollar questions is; what happens to graduates and school dropouts who are looking forward to employment opportunities? what can be done to engage them? How can their pathway be define relating it to their passion, to ensure a smooth transition to employment opportunities? Answering these questions implies relating back to our solution, working with youths (deprived, dropouts and degree holders) providing them with employment opportunities through our ongoing training programs. Cameroon has a rising unemployment which stands at 21,250,000 (85%). The most vulnerable being youths. This has led to the ongoing Anglophone war where the English speaking youths (separatist) have pick up arms against the government. Rising cyber-crimes, insecurity and crime rate. Further, Bribery and Corruption (top three most corrupted countries, 2019), tribalism, favoritism, ignorance, poor tax policies, lack of creativity and innovation are some of key factors to high unemployment in Cameroon.      

The success of a countries economy hugely depends on how active its youths are contributing in terms of employment opportunities, creativity and technological innovation. Contrariwise, with the absence of the above-mentioned factors, Cameroonian youths are faced with high unemployment due to bribery, corruption, ignorance and tribalism. Therefore contributing to solving this problem, we target dropouts and degree holders, engaging them into our training programs. We visit schools and universities and provide continuous mentoring on how youths can identify and develop their true inborn potentials (making their Passion their profession), locate jobs or create one for themselves. With our universities, providing more of theories than practicalities makes them unqualified for the job market. The initiative ”Each One, Teach One” was develop in 2014 to provide practical training programs, to identify passions, develop skills/knowledge, promote professional ethics, and bridging the unemployment gap by negotiating with enterprises to provide training placements (internships, voluntary service and employment opportunities). In addition, we engage street children and dropouts, providing them with basic reading/Writing skills, then involve them into vocational trainings (craft), to develop their potentials in their areas of passion. Currently we use excel sheet as a hub to register follow-up and meet-match youths and enterprises.  

Our Solution target Cameroon Youths (Internally displaced persons (IDPs), street children, school dropouts, students and university graduates) especially in the conflict hit North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. Understanding their needs we carry out the “Each One, Teach One” mentoring approach, where through workshops we have one on one mentoring and training sessions with them. This is to identify their needs, what they are passionate about then develop their skills and knowledge towards that career path through vocational trainings, and finding employment placements by negotiating with enterprises to ensure a smooth pathway to employment opportunities. Furthermore, youths already at the advanced stage of their training, we engage them as mentors and training volunteers, to train those at the entry levels. Therefore, targeting the under-privileged, dropouts, students and graduates, for our training programs have created employment and entrepreneurial opportunities which indirectly have reduced the high dependency, abject poverty creating financial empowerment, improve on living conditions, reduce crime wave (cyber-crimes, rising insecurity, drug abuse and robbery etc.). In addition, Youths are opportune to do what they are passionate about which generally has enormously contributed to the economic growth of the Cameroonian economy.  

High unemployment, miss-marched career-pathways, dropouts, lack of qualified skills, knowledge development and vocational training programs for youths (deprived, dropouts, students, degree holders and workers), describes why we develop the “Each One Teach One” training program. It focuses on providing continuous top quality but inexpensive practical and vocational trainings on capacity building (skills), setting pathways to employment opportunities (Job Placement) based on peoples passion (mentoring). Analyzing the Reimagining Path ways to Employment in the US challenge and the two selected dimensions (TWO and Three); our Solution is in line with the KEY OBJECTIVES of the challenge towards the new economy.

We are a Social-Enterprise, and measured with our success story recorded in Cameroon; our vision is to expand operations to other parts of the world. Implementing our solution in USA will be successful as they are faced with similar challenges. According to Business Insider.com the two poorest states in the USA include Mississippi (Median household income: $43,441, poverty rate 19.5), followed by Louisiana (household income: $43,903, Poverty rate: 20.0%). We plan to execute our solution in these two states. Penetrating and Implementing our Plan will mean developing an Action Plan, with a SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat) analysis inclusive, clearly, to understand the external Factors (Opportunity and Threat), analyzing the Macro Environment (Population, Environment, Economy, Technology, Politics and Law, Social and Culture) and Micro Environment (Market, Client, Competitors, and Suppliers). Further, we investigate the internal factors; clearly, this is to understand our Firms Environment (Technology level, Service Capacity, Corporate Culture, Human Resources, and Financial Capacity) and Services (Quality of Services, Price and Characteristics). This will be done comparatively with research done to better understand and overtake to be Competitors in the market. More so, we will collaborate with capacity training centers providing needed skills and knowledge development for job placement (Internship, Voluntary Service and Employment). Increasing Employment opportunities will focus on skill development based on passion, through coaching/mentoring, engage more youths into entrepreneurial activities, increase vocational trainings to reduce street crimes (Drugs, shootings stealing, hacking etc.). Boosting their Economic activities will reduce poverty/dependency, while ensuring financial freedom. 

Full Time Workers-7

Part Time-2

Volunteer-10

Contractors-1

Building a sustainable, diverse, equitable and inclusive organization (New Economy), for all, begins with Mind-Shaping of youths and workers (making their Passion their Profession), where, work ethics, Professionalism, fairness, equal opportunities and with no one left out (graduates and dropouts, deprived, and workers) is the watchdog. Diversity, understanding the uniqueness of people based on their race, gender, age, Socio-Economic Status, ideology, Political and Religious beliefs and Sexual Orientation. Equity, Equality ensure fairness in skills and knowledge development and equal Job opportunities for all. Finally, inclusion, getting everyone on board by fully utilizing every available skills that will contribute to growth of the new economy. Therefore, building the New Economy, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion should be the foundation stone; with none left out, as everyone would contribute enormously to the growth of the New Economy knowing they will take part in the sharing of the country’s national cake. 

With the world becoming a global village with very stiff competition as companies, bite each other’s hills just to survive in the market and further more given that the business environment is constantly changing indicating the need for continuous improvement in our technology (Innovation). The constant changes indicated we develop an innovative business model that was ADAPTIVE to the constant changes in the business environment so to meet up with the Specifications of our customers’ demands. Solving this problem, we had to adopt the SOLUTION FOCUSED (SF) Model. This was develop in the United States in the 1980’s by Councilors, with the aims to applying COMMUNICATION SKILLS and producing significant results this method is widely used in both in Europe and Japan. Coupled with this method we have adopted another model call SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS whereby we develop our solutions based on the problem we have at hand. We do not have a unique model providing solutions to our problems. For continuous innovation so to meet up with the constant changes in our customers’ demands we carry out continuous research and development based on the Solution Focused Model and the Situational Analysis Model.          

We use an already existing application (MICROSOFT EXCEL 2016) to provide lasting solutions to our clients. This application has been very successful as we have been able to take full records of all our clients, providing close follow-up, providing analytical and statistical results on what we have done so far.    

Microsoft Excel is a globally used application by almost every company found in the world today. The results provided by Microsoft Excel are unique, as so many companies worldwide have testified to that.   

We target both degree and dropouts and engage them into our training programs. We visit schools and universities to provide mentoring on how youths can identify and develop their true inborn potentials (making their Passion their profession). Further, we negotiate with Enterprises to provide training placement (internships, voluntary service and employment) for graduates. Also, we engage the less privileged (street children), provide them with basic reading/Writing skills, engage them in vocational trainings (craft), to develop their skills and knowledge in areas they are passionate about. This has created employment opportunities (reduce dependency rate) and handcraft for dropouts (free from drugs and crimes).      

Using a Vision Oriented Business Plan to set our goals, Our Vision is to reach 10000 youths by the year 2030. Therefore, by next year we plan to extend our solution to the other nine regions of Cameroon. With the Opportunity, we will extend out solution to the USA starting with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Achieving these goals, we will have to work hand in glove with our local communities identifying the needs and wants of youths and using the Solutions focused (SF) Model and Situational Analysis in achieving the said goals.    

We are faced with financial constrains to expand our solutions to other regions as we need to recruit and pay more team members  

Further, we need to upgrade our software (Microsoft Excel) such that our solution can be verified online.  

Based on our financial limitations we seek to raise finances from Venture Capital programs, we plan to bring in more experienced IT experts in to our team to work towards getting our Solution online

We have the limitation on how we can collect our data online. This would have made the process of data collection and result analysis very easy for us.

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Our team is made up of Project Management Experts, Business Development Consultants, IT Expert, Councilors and field staffs, Research and development experts (R&D)

The Project Management Expert has at least 8+ years of experience as a consultant

The Business Development Expert has five of working experience as a business development expert working with local communities

The IT Officer has two years of working experience as an IT Technician  

The Councilor has Four years of working experience, providing youth  empowering services   

The Research and Development Expert aims at carrying out Research Development to identify and develop new areas of opportunities that will be beneficial for our Solution

Field staff they responsible for implementing the field work with the least of their working experience is 3years and maximum 5 years

The above combined skills  gives us a  360 degree well planned solution to our customers

Currently BITS CONSULTING FIRM is in Partnership with MBENG ADIO MUCHROOM FARM GROUP

We work in partnership with MBENG ADIO MUCHROOM FARM GROUP by identifying potential farmers and developing business models for them 

Also we are in partnership with NEMS Foundation where we focus on training Orphans and street children. This is to enable them gain the required skills needed to create employments opportunities and craft for them.  

We operate as a social and profit making firm based on our trainings provided there three categories of clients, We provide Business/Project Management Services  to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME's) which they pay for. Further we work with and train individuals who can afford to pay for our trainings, we do not only train them but after their the trainings depending on out agreement we enable them secure employment opportunities or become self employed. On the other hand  we use part of our Profits generated to provide 100% free scholarships  trainings to the less privileged (street children) which in the end they still have equal job opportunities as those who paid for.     

We plan to expand the sales of our services to other markets both locally and internationally, targeting more SME's, and individuals

Further, we will do a lot of research and development to be able to identify and develop new services that will better satisfy our customers

We also plan to raise Investment capital by selling shares out to the general public

We will also be seeking grans donations to provide more fully sponsored scholarships to under privilege youths (Street Children and orphans)   

Our Revenue Transactional in nature (Transactional Revenue).  It comes from the sales of our services to our clients (SME's  and Individuals) and which they pay for.  

As for our generated revenue (2019) based on the sales of our services we made an estimated revenue after the deduction of all expenses and taxes we made 40,000 Dollars    

Based on our Financial needs to expand our markets in the sales of our services both at the local and international level so to meet up with the current demand for our products and also providing 100% scholarship to the under privilege youths, increase our budget on Research and Development to to come up with new services and other applications that will enable us better serve our customers. We hope to raise 250,000 dollar grants and we will be needing this funding by March 2021. 

Fixed Costs/Overhead (Annual Estimation) 

•  Rent                                                                                          $12,000 
•  Utility bills                                                                                $5,500

• Phone bills/communication costs                                                 $2,000
• Legal/insurance/licensing fees                                                     $15,000
• Postage                                                                                        $1500
• Technology (R&D and development of Applications)                      $30,000
• Advertising & marketing                                                              $20,000
• Salaries                                                                                        $25000                                                                                       

Variable Costs

• Cost of Goods Sold                                                                       $14000
• • Customer service                                                                      3500

Total Estimated Expense 2021                                                        $128,500

The Morgridge Family Foundation, New Profit, and other Challenge partners can help us reach our 2030 Vision reaching out to at least 10000 youths especially providing 100% scholarships to especially under privilege children (street children) which will indirectly reduce crime rate like Cyber crimes, stealing, killing as it will increase employment opportunities for youths  

Further, Morgridge Family Foundation, New Profit, and other Challenge partners will help sponsor to see to it that my expand the sales of our services not just locally but internationally. W can have the opportunity to expand our Solution to the United States and why not in other countries in the word   

In addition, Morgridge Family Foundation, New Profit, and other Challenge partners 

• w will have the opportunity to be awarded a minimum of US$125,000 in grants. which can help us expand our services not only at the local level but internationally 
• With the opportunity to be selected among the winners we will also receive IBM Cloud Credits and virtual coaching with IBM technical experts. this will help us develop good applications for our solutions  to better serve our customers 
• We will also have the opportunity learn more on how to better develop our Business Model, Solution technology, better way to distribute our Product/service, Improve on our Funding and Revenue Model, Talent Recruitment, Board members or advisors, Legal or regulatory matters,  Monitoring and evaluation, Marketing, media, and exposure 

Partnering will enable us develop very good business Model Solution technology, Product/service distribution,Funding and revenue model, Talent recruitment Board members or advisors, and Monitoring and evaluationand Marketing, media, and exposure than what we are doing now as we are faced lots shorts comings especially financial and technical constrains. Therefore Partnering in the following above areas will enable us achieve our Vision 2031 of supporting at least 10000 youths both at the local and international level  

Its very simple terms we will want  partnerships goals that will be WIN-WIN Situation that is a partnerships situation that will be mutually beneficial to  both parties.

Partnership goals where we learn from each other and where mutual  trust respect, professionalism and Accountability defines our partnership

I will like to partner with the "Morgridge Family Foundation" as they will open new doors for better opportunities  as we expand our services and learn more about Social Entrepreneurship, Talent recruitment and gain funding (Grans that will help expand our Solution)

We will also like to Partner with "IBM" as they will help us open doors for new business opportunities especially coaching us in areas of developing good Business model, Solution technology, Marketing, media, and exposure.

Further we will like to Partner with "New Profit" to detailed insight in Funding and revenue model, Legal or regulatory matters, and Monitoring and evaluation