Do you want to be one of the recipients of the Col-Skills for work scholarships?

How to apply?

BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

An estimated 174 million people worldwide were unemployed at the beginning of 2020. At the beginning of this decade, global youth unemployment was at an alarming 15%, and the lower level of labour force participation of women suggested that three out of five people in the global labour force were men.

There is clear recognition that skills, as a passport, can boost the upward mobility of informal workforce, contributing to the employment of more women in the formal labour force. People need skills that would offer them decent work, entrepreneurship, stable income and remuneration, and social protection.

 Furthermore, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown measures have impacted hundreds of learners around Samoa, leaving them with little or no option to continue their education. Hundreds have lost their jobs and livelihoods and need reskilling to regain employment.

AN IMMEDIATE SOLUTION

Recognizing shortage of skilled workforce and the catastrophic effects of the pandemic on thousands of Samoan people who have become unemployed, or are on the verge of losing their jobs, Commonwealth of Learning ( COL), has launched Skills for Work programs as an immediate solution to these challenges.

COMMONWEALTH OF LEARNING-SKILLS FOR WORK IN SAMOA- NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SAMOA PARTNERSHIP

As an intergovernmental organization committed to improving the livelihood conditions of people across the Commonwealth, COL has entered into this partnership with National University of Samoa in Samoa to make a difference to the lives of adult and young who need to acquire skills for gaining employment. The program will continue till March 2023.

Focal person at NUS:

Muagututi’a Professor Ioana Chan Mow
Professor in Computing Studies
National University of Samoa 
email: i.chanmow@nus.edu.ws

WHAT COURSES /SPECIALIZATIONS ARE OFFERED UNDER THE SCHOLARSHIP?

Under the COL-Grow with Google Skills for Work Scholarship, scholarship recipients will be able to gain Google certification in five specialization areas- IT Support, IT automation with Python, UX Design, IT Project Management and Data Analytics.

The COL-Udemy Scholarship will offer skill development courses in IT operations, project management, application development, leadership and management, marketing while the COL-Coursera scholarship will provide access to courses in Digital transformation, information technology, entrepreneurship, emerging technology and cloud computing.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA/TARGET LEARNERS

  1. Those who are interested to gain new skills to enter the job market
  2. Those who are unemployed and wish to gain skills to start  mini and micro-enterprises
  3. Male, Women and third gender
  4. Persons with disability with basic ICT skills . Persons with disability will be prioritized while selecting candidates for the scholarship program. (National University of Samoa wishes to allocate 5% of the scholarship to persons with disability.)

SCHOLARSHIP RULES

1) Once you submit your application using the online application a selection committee comprising of officials of the National University of Samoa will short list the eligible candidates who will be required to participate in an online screening process. Shortlisted candidates will be provided with the details for online screening through email.
2) The learner has to respond to our email invitation to sign up for the Coursera portal within 2 days of receiving;
3) Selected learner will be required to complete at least 6 courses within 6 months.
4) The learner has to enroll in a course or two within a week of accepting the invitation;
5) The learner has to show enough progress with learning, say at least three hours of learning within the first two weeks of joining; and,
6) The learner has to complete at least one course within 4 weeks of availing of the scholarship
7) Under COL- Grow with Google Scholarship , learners have to commit at least 10 hours per week.
8)The scholarship will be withdrawn if the learner is not able to demonstrate enough commitment and willingness to take advantage of the scholarship and will not be considered for COL scholarship in future.
9) A helpdesk facility is available to help facilitate learning.

HELPDESK AND SOCIAL MEDIA SUPPORT 

Personnel located in National University of Samoa will offer help with choosing courses, and provide administrative, academic support, as well as mentorship and counseling. 
Mobile : +685-7634372
Email: learning-helpdesk@nus.edu.ws
Facebook page : Commonwealth of Learning Skills for Work – Samoa  

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM FOR SCHOLARHSIP

Interest applicants are requested to submit application online

TIMELINE OF SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2021

2nd batch

October 2021 – March 2022 (6 months)

Deadline for submission of application: tba

3rd Batch

June 2022 – January 2023 (6 months)

Deadline for submission of application: tba

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