LaborHack launches certification arm for construction industry

Managing Director, First Atlantic Realty Company Ltd, Babatunde Odubanjo(left); Chief Executive Officer, LaborHack, Oare Ehiemua-Ochui; Head, Facilities and Maintenance, Cappa and D’Alberto Ltd, Emmanuel Chiuselli; Investor, Techstars, Alisha Golden and Real Estate Consultant, Tosin Osikoya, during the launch of LaborHack Online Platform in Lagos

LaborHack, a business-to-business technology firm, has developed solutions to tackle the challenges associated with finding skilled, trained and vetted workers for the construction industry in Nigeria.

The firm has partnered with accreditation agencies in the United Kingdom and the United States to test and certify local workers, thereby ensuring the company is able to provide a steady pipeline of workers that have both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to deliver on the job according to global standards.

The Chief Executive Officer, LaborHack, Oare Ehiemua-Ochui, stated in Lagos this at the unveiling of a digital marketplace to connect the certified workers to large developers and local construction businesses.

The event brought together key stakeholders in the construction industry in Nigeria to discuss LaborHack’s certification programme, which qualifies and standardises workers through certifications such as the UK Engineering Construction Industry, Training Board (ECITB), UK City and Guilds and the American Welding Society.

Ehiemua-Ochui said: “We are very excited about LaborHack and believe it is very needed here in Nigeria. Finally, construction industry players have a proxy they can use to make better hiring decisions. This intervention aims to significantly reduce material, time and financial wastage from the use of substandard talent, which many companies have previously reported to be as high as 50 per cent of their profit margin.”

According to her, certified workers tagged LaborHack Pros, are onboarded to LaborHack’s digital platform where they are connected to companies looking to access pools of trained, tested, and vetted workers available on demand.

Chief Executive Officer/Founder, Orritech Nigeria Limited, Mr. Frank Atsagbede, said, “I have worked with the firm on past projects and have seen a marked difference in the quality of talent they provide. The certification platform will be a real game changer for the industry.”

The firm, through its sister company, OPL Academy has built a community of 1,500 workers including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, painters, welders, and AC technicians.

The platform officially launches on January 1, 2023.