Facebook launches new career tools for SA youth, entrepreneurs

Facebook has unveiled new tools and resources to help youth, professionals and entrepreneurs in South Africa access career opportunities, the social networking site announced on Wednesday.

These include the Learn with Facebook career development site, an enhanced Mentorship tool, and an improved Jobs on Facebook product, Facebook said in a statement.

"The launch of these resources falls in line with Facebook’s commitment to training business owners across Africa and equipping people with the skills they need to thrive in the modern digital workplace," the statement said.

Learn with Facebook gives an introduction to hard and soft skills that will help users advance in "today's digital workforce", Facebook explained. Lessons include 'Ace your Interview' and 'Manage your Content Marketing', which are free.

They include case studies, insider tips and resources from industry experts.

New direction

Despite a difficult year for the company, Facebook says the 2017 launch of Jobs on Facebook was a success, resulting in over a million people finding jobs. The function has now expanded to allow businesses to post jobs in groups.

The Mentorship tool, meanwhile, connects people in groups who are seeking mentorship with others in their community who have relevant experience or expertise. People in groups can choose a mentor based on their goals and interests, Facebook said.

Users can sign up to share information about what they are offering or looking for, and others in the group can browse a list of available people to find a match and reach out directly.

Facebook has seen a steady decline over the past year, with shares losing around a fifth of their value. In September 2017, the site's share of digital consumption stood at 16.5%. A year later, it had dropped to 14.3%.

In July, the company revealed that the number of European users per month had fallen by a million, with global growth in the previous quarter at the slowest ever recorded.

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