UNiFEED Story: SUDAN / JOB FAIR (3.28), The 'Juba Jobs Fair' is the first of its kind to be held in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba. Sudanese both young and old gathered at the Juba vocational training centre to see what prospective employers have to offer.

22 August 2008

SUDAN / JOB FAIR (3.28)

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Full Script

STORY: SUDAN/ JUBA JOB FAIR
TRT: 3:28
SOURCE: UNMIS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NATS

DATELINE: 21 AUG 2008, JUBA / SUDAN

SHOTLIST

1. Wide shot, people at the Juba Jobs fair
2. Close up, sign reading "Juba Jobs fair"  
3. Med shot, people at the fair
4. Med shot, man holding an envelope
5. Med shot, man talking to an employee in a stand
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Watson, Deputy Director, International Relief Committee (IRC):
"IRC has been funded by the US Government Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration for the past three years in order for Southern Sudanese to reintegrate into Southern Sudan. And this has culminated now in the last year with the jobs fair so that people who have been trained by IRC or some other training have a chance to meet with different organizations in order to find work." 
7. Wide shot, poster with the late Dr. John Garrang
8. Med shot, Sudanese participants and prospective employers
9. Close up, Isaac Akome, a Sudanese returnee 
10. Med shot, Isaac chatting with a prospective employer
11. Close up, Isaac's CV
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Isaac Akome, a Sudanese returnee:
"I have been talking to most of the organizations here like PSF, the network of the world, I tried to talk to them and they tried to find whether I had experience in my field and in what I am interested in. So the issue of the experience they demanded for also, a bit created some fear, that even if I drop my CV or resume to them, it can still be dumped in a dust bin because I don't have very good experience."
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Edema Robert, Sudanese returnee:
"Currently we are not having people in the private sectors; most of the people are concentrating with NGO's, that's why its difficult to get a job even in the government sectors, so there are a lot of graduates and drop outs also seeking jobs, that's why it is difficult to get a job."
14. Wide shot, participants chatting in different stands
15. Close up, sign reading "Open vacancies"
16. Close up, paper with list of vacancies
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Yannic Gboris, head of Pharmaciens San Frontieres (PSF) mission:
"We are in the process of hiring a lot of people in the future months to come so it was very import for us to be here and to meet a lot these job seekers, because it is most of the time very difficult to find information anywhere else and then we don't have also the time also to receive everyone at the office, so its very nice here, the organization was great and we met a lot of people we received a lot of CV's and I believe we will find the people we are looking for."
18. Wide shot, prospective employee at the 'Advance Employment Services' stand
19. Med shot, young man chatting to Granang Chut Deng
20. Close up, hands holding business card
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Garang Chut Deng, Advance Employment Services Office Manager:
"If we are able to get the right people and put them in the right places, because sooner or later some of these businesses would like to relinquish part of their business to local Sudanese to either Manage or run. So what we are actually trying to do is to prepare the ground for a take over, if I can put it that way. For people to actually take charge and manage business and be confident about themselves. So we know that we have foreigners investing in Sudan, but they would like to have Sudanese input as well, and what we wanted to do is to make sure that that input is readily available through us."
22. Wide shot, participants and employers at the Jobs Fair

STORYLINE:

The "Juba Jobs Fair" is the first of its kind to be held in the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba. Sudanese both young and old gathered at the Juba vocational training centre to see what prospective employers have to offer.
The job fair is organized by the International Relief Committee (IRC), a non- government organization that has been working with Southern Sudanese returnees since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that end over two decades of war between Sudan's north and South in 2005. 
Since then hundreds of thousands of Sudanese who were displaced are coming back home to the South. The IRC has been providing some skills training for the returnees to meet the employment demands. The courses range from five weeks to six months, with training in hospitality, computers, office admissions, hairdressing and catering. 
SOUNDBITE (English) Joanna Watson, Deputy Director, International Relief Committee (IRC):
"IRC has been funded by the US Government Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration for the past three years in order for Southern Sudanese to reintegrate into Southern Sudan. And this has culminated now in the last year with the jobs fair so that people who have been trained by IRC or some other training have a chance to meet with different organizations in order to find work."

Juba town is booming with business, hotels, NGO's and industries that require skilled personnel to work in them, unfortunately most of the returnees are found lacking in this area.
Like many here, Isaac Akome fled Sudan when he was only four years, he grew up and went to school in a camp in Uganda and only returned to Sudan in 2007. He is one of the graduates of the IRC program and today he has the opportunity to interact with employers at the fair.
SOUNDBITE (English) Isaac Akome, a Sudanese returnee:
"I have been talking to most of the organizations here like PSF, the network of the world, I tried to talk to them and they tried to find whether I had experience in my field and in what I am interested in. So the issue of the experience they demanded for also, a bit created some fear, that even if I drop my CV or resume to them, it can still be dumped in a dust bin because I don't have very good experience."
Because of the many years of war in Sudan, most southerners lack the years of experience that employers require, and often settle for manual labor. 
Edema Robert, another job seeker, and an electrician by profession blames it on the fact that more people need to invest and provide these jobs in the South.
SOUNDBITE (English) Edema Robert, Sudanese returnee:
"Currently we are not having people in the private sectors; most of the people are concentrating with NGO's that's why it's difficult to get a job, even in the government sectors. So there are a lot of graduates and drop out also seeking jobs, that's why it is difficult to get a job."
Over the last two years there has been a major increase in the number of business opening in Juba. Hotels, network providers, construction companies, and many aid agencies are moving their operations to the south, but most of them get their skilled personnel from Kenya and Uganda. Many employers say finding Southern Sudanese with the right skills is almost impossible.
SOUNDBITE (English) Yannic Gboris, head of Pharmaciens San Frontieres (PSF) mission:
 "We are in the process of hiring a lot of people in the future months to come," says Yannic Gboris from 'Pharmaciens San Frontieres' (PSF), an NGO attending the Fair.  So it was very import for us to be here and to meet a lot these job seekers, because it is most of the time very difficult to find information anywhere else and then we don't have also the time also to receive everyone at the office, so its very nice here, the organization was great and we met a lot of people we received a lot of CV's and I believe we will find the people we are looking for."
Although job priority is given to Southern Sudanese, it is true that there is a lot required in order to get the work force in the south to be what it should be. 
Garang Deng also left Sudan during the war. He came back and now works as an office manager at the Advance Employment Services Company. He feels that it's not that there are no trained Sudanese to do the jobs, but that often employers don't know how to find them and that there are many barriers like language that can be an obstacle. Garang's company acts as a bridge connecting southern Sudanese employers with job seekers.
SOUNDBITE (English) Garang Chut Deng, Advance Employment Services Office Manager:
"If we are able to get the right people and put them in the right places, because sooner or later some of these businesses would like to relinquish part of their business to local Sudanese to either Manage or run. So what we are actually trying to do is to prepare the ground for a take over, if I can put it that way. For people to actually take charge and manage business and be confident about themselves. So we know that we have foreigners investing in Sudan, but they would like to have Sudanese input as well, and what we wanted to do is to make sure that that input is readily available through us."

More than 200 potential job seekers had the chance to meet with and get job vacancy information from 15 employers at Juba Job Fair.

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SUDAN / JOB FAIR (3.28)

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