FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates broadly, but not exclusively, to methods for predicting a identifying a job opportunity suitable for a skilled worker at a target location.

BACKGROUND

Recently, there is an increasing and significant number of potential employees looking for employment opportunities search online e.g., using the Internet or via a mobile device app program. In particular, when searching for employment, a job seeker usually enters a job title or description and a geographic location. The jobsearch site then returns a listing of job opportunities. Some job search sites allow the user e.g, a job seeker, a head hunter or an employment agency to search a particular city where a job is located, or to specify a distance, e.g., in miles, of the desired job from a particular geographic location.

It is known that most people prefer to find employment that is located closer to where they live or are otherwise predominately located in a geographical area (e.g. close to their residence, etc.). Traditionally, most people find jobs and/or promising job leads through websites. However, it can be very difficult, from both an employer's and job candidate's perspective, to identify and fill an employment position with an appropriate employer- employee match.

For example, job candidates typically peruse job ads, send resumes to employers, cold call employers, or even visit employer offices or stores in person to inquire whether the employer has any open employment positions. This traditional job-seeking approach can have numerous disadvantages including, for example, limited effectiveness, lack of personal communication or contact between employers job candidates job candidates not knowing whether the employer has a need for people with their backgrounds and experience, employers receiving inquiries from job candidates who are not qualified or who are not a good match for the employer, and job candidates often required to wait until they hear back from an employer. This traditional process can be frustrating and a waste of valuable time and resources, both from the employer and job candidate perspectives. These disadvantages can be even more problematic when employers have an immediate need for a new employee, since the traditional process can take a long time before qualified job candidates learn about these employment opportunities, employers interview job candidates who are good matches, and job candidates are actually hired.

In the recent time, on-line employment search resources, have enhanced the way in which employers and job candidates publicize their employment needs and perform employment position searches. When using such websites, for example, employers can post descriptions of their open employment positions, which can then be searched by job candidates who access the website. If a job candidate is interested in a posted employment position, the job candidates can contact a person identified in the description or apply on-line by completing a form provided by the employer. Thus, these types of websites are still based on the traditional process summarized above, but with the convenience that employers can post employment position openings on-line, and job candidates can review on-line available employment position and submit a resume or other application materials using their computer.

While such websites have provided an improved level of convenience to employers and job candidates relative to other traditional methods, known employment resources nevertheless suffer from a number of disadvantages and inconveniences associated with the time consuming process of soliciting resumes or posting on-line listings, reviewing resumes mailed or submitted by job candidates, deciding which job candidates are good matches after reviewing resumes, contacting those job candidates, scheduling interviews (assuming the job candidates is still available and interested in the position since the job candidates may have accepted another position), conducting the interview, and going through the hiring process. In-demand employers can be inundated with candidate volume with no regard for candidate fit for the job or company culture, which is a factor with a successful hire. Further, this traditional process has limited employer-candidate interaction, on-line submissions can be impersonal, and employers and job candidates may not meet in person, or if they do, meetings may not occur until well after a job candidate expresses interest in an available employment position. A further disadvantage with traditional employment seeking methods is that the ability for job candidates to interact dynamically and spontaneously with potential employers is limited, due to the requirement of an employer first having to post an employment position and then the job candidate identify and then apply or the employment position. Unlike an applicant applying in-person, an employer cannot see how a candidate "carries themselves" which why the vast majority of employers and recruiters require an in-person meeting before hiring a candidate. Even with in-person meetings or interviews, the employer lack an objective standard by which they can measure and ascertain candidate's experience and skill sets. Further, the current ability for a job candidate to find a suitable employment position in their preferred geographical location is difficult, as one must rely on at best keyword searching to filter employment position postings. A further disadvantage with traditional employment seeking methods is that the ability for individuals in the employment candidate's network to come across suitable employment positions is limited, other than for the individual themselves to search and comb through employment position postings, a considered manually intensive and time consuming process.

In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a method and an apparatus allowing the jobseeker to identify a job opportunity in a target location, which overcomes one or more of the above disadvantages, or which at least provides a useful alternative.

Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the disclosure. SUMMARY

According to a first aspect, a method for identifying a job opportunity suitable for a skilled worker is provided, the method comprising:

generating worker preference in a target location based on skill set information and skilled worker information retrieved from one or more databases, the skill set information relating to at least one skill that skilled worker possesses and the skilled worker information comprising information relating to an availability of the skilled worker;

calculating a worker preference score based on the generated worker preference; retrieving available job data from the one or more databases based on the calculated worker preference score, the job data identifying one or more job opportunities that are available at the target location; and

identifying the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker based on the calculated worker preference score.

According to a second aspect, an apparatus for identifying a job opportunity suitable for a skilled worker is provided, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

generate worker preference in a target location based on skill set information and skilled worker information retrieved from one or more databases, the skill set information relating to at least one skill that skilled worker possesses and the skilled worker information comprising information relating to an availability of the skilled worker;

calculate a worker preference score based on the generated worker preference;

retrieve available job data from the one or more databases based on the calculated worker preference score, the job data identifying one or more job opportunities that are available at the target location; and

identify the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker based on the calculated worker preference score.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to illustrate various embodiments, by way of example only, and to explain various principles and advantages in accordance with a present embodiment. Figure 1 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for identifying the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker according to an example embodiment;

Figure 2 shows a system for identifying the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker according to an example embodiment; and

Figure 3 shows an exemplary computing device suitable for executing the method for identifying the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker. Figure 4 shows an exemplary computing device to realize a server for the proxy server 108 shown in Figure 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings. Like reference numerals and characters in the drawings refer to like elements or equivalents. Some portions of the description which follows are explicitly or implicitly presented in terms of algorithms and functional or symbolic representations of operations on data within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and functional or symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to convey most effectively the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities, such as electrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. Unless specifically stated otherwise, and as apparent from the following, it will be appreciated that throughout the present specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "scanning", "calculating", "determining", "replacing", "generating", "initializing", "outputting", "receiving", "retrieving", "identifying", "predicting" or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical quantities within the the computer system into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system or other information storage, transmission or display devices. The present specification also discloses apparatus for performing the operations of the methods. Such apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or may comprise a general purpose computer or other device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose machines may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein. Alternatively, the construction of more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps may be appropriate. The structure of a conventional general purpose computer will appear from the description below. In addition, the present specification also implicitly discloses a computer program, in that it would be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the individual steps of the method described herein may be put into effect by computer code. The computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular programming language and implementation thereof. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages and coding thereof may be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure contained herein. Moreover, the computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular control flow. There are many other variants of the computer program, which can use different control flows without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Furthermore, one or more of the steps of the computer program may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially. Such a computer program may be stored on any computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include storage devices such as magnetic or optical disks, memory chips, or other storage devices suitable for interfacing with a general purpose computer. The computer readable medium may also include a hard-wired medium such as exemplified in the Internet system, or wireless medium such as exemplified in the GSM mobile telephone system. The computer program when loaded and executed on such a general-purpose computer effectively results in an apparatus that implements the steps of the preferred method. Various embodiments of the present invention relate to methods for identifying a job opportunity for a skilled worker. In an embodiment, the method is a computer- implemented method which identifies a job opportunity for the skilled worker based on preference of the skilled worker (e.g., worker preference).

In the following description, an account is a one that can be used by an account holder to update his profile information and for seeking a job opportunity with an employer. The account is usually linked to the account holder's bank account. Examples of accounts include an account on a job search website or an account for a mobile application. In various embodiments, an account is associated with a payment card. As used herein, the terms "transaction card," "financial transaction card," and "payment card" refer to any suitable transaction card, such as a credit card, a debit card, a prepaid card, a charge card, a membership card, a promotional card, a frequent flyer card, an identification card, a gift card, and/or any other device that may hold payment account information, such as mobile phones, Smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), key fobs, and/or computers. Each type of transaction card can be used as a method of payment for performing a transaction.

In the following description, an account holder is one who is seeking a job opportunity with an employer. The account holder may be referred to as a skilled worker, also known as a technician, a blue-collared worker, a specialist, a construction worker and a wright.

FIG 1 illustrates a block diagram of a transaction system 100 within which transaction data can be received. The system 100 comprises a skilled worker device 102 in communication with an employer device 104. The skilled worker device 102 may also be in direct communication with a proxy server 108, without having to communicate with the employer device 104.

The employer device 104 is in communication with an acquirer server 106. The acquirer server 106, in turn, is in communication with the proxy server 108. The proxy server 108, in turn, is in communication with an issuer server 110.

Use of the term 'server' herein can mean a single computing device or a plurality of interconnected computing devices which operate together to perform a particular function. That is, the server may be contained within a single hardware unit or be distributed among several or many different hardware units. An exemplary computing device which may be operated as a "server" is described below with reference to Figure 3. The skilled worker device 102 typically is associated with a skilled worker who is an account holder to a job seeking account. The skilled worker device 102 may be a fixed (wired) computing device or a wireless (portable) computing device. In specific implementations, the skilled worker device 102 may be a handheld or portable or mobile device carried or used by the customer, or may refer to other types of electronic devices such as a personal computer, a land-line telephone or an interactive voice response (IVR) system and the like. The mobile device may be a device, such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a personal digital computer (PDA), a mobile computer, a portable music player (such as an iPod™ and the like). The employer device 104 typically is associated with an employer (e.g., a mentor, or a contractor) who is also an account holder to a job seeking account through which the employer may provide details of its job opportunity. Similarly, employer device 104 may be a fixed (wired) computing device or a wireless (portable) computing device. In specific implementations, the employer device 104 may be a handheld or portable or mobile device carried or used by the customer, or may refer to other types of electronic devices such as a personal computer, a land-line telephone or an interactive voice response (IVR) system and the like. The mobile device may be a device, such as a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a personal digital computer (PDA), a mobile computer, a portable music player (such as an iPod™ and the like).

The acquirer server 106 generally is associated with an acquirer who may be an entity (e.g. a company or organization) which issues (e.g. establishes, manages, administers) a transaction credential or an account (e.g. a financial bank account) of the merchant. Examples of the acquirer include a bank and/or other financial institution. As stated in the above, the acquirer server 106 may include one or more computing devices that are used to establish communication with another server by exchanging messages with and/or passing information to the other server. The proxy server 108 is associated with a third party such as a headhunting company or a payment facillator. For example, the proxy server 108 may be the Banknet® network operated by MasterCard®. The third party may be an entity (e.g. a company or organization) who operates to process job applications, process transactions, clear and settle funds for payments between two entities (e.g. two banks). The proxy server 108 may include one or more computing devices that are used for processing information.

The issuer server 110 generally is associated with an issuer and may include one or more computing devices that are used to perform a payment transaction. The issuer may be an entity (e.g. a company or organization) which issues (e.g. establishes, manages, administers) a transaction credential or an account (e.g. a financial bank account). An account may be associated with a plurality of transaction devices 102.

The proxy server 108 may be configured to communicate with, or may include, a database 109. The database 109 stores data corresponding to each account that relates to the skilled worker. For example, the data includes skilled worker information and skill set information. In other embodiments, the data includes a worker preference score that is calculated based on the generated worker preference. The worker preference score indicates a preference of the skilled worker towards job opportunities. This may be dependent on his interest, skill and past experiences.

The following types of information may be considered as skill set information:

Personal information: -

Location

Interest

Occupation

Skills

Preferred compensation amount

Past employment information :-

• Details of past employers

• Details of past job scope (e.g., laying of bricks, usage of tools) Payment Information :-

• Preferred payment mode

Card Group Code

Card Product Code

Card Product Description

Card Issuer Country

Card Issuer ID

Card Issuer Name

Aggregate Card Issuer ID

Aggregate Card Issuer Name

The skill set information may be registered at the time of signing up for the account and this may be done at the time of applying for a job or through a registration or vendor kiosk (e.g., employer kiosk). In other words, at the registration kiosk, the skilled worker may register for a card, activate a card or ensure that notification messages are sent through his Mobile Subscriber Identity Number (MSISDN). In other words, the MSISDN is a mobile telephone number.

In an embodiment, the proxy server 108 is configured to process a request to sign up for the account and send a notification message to the skilled worker device 102 once it is determined that the account is set up. In an embodiment, the skilled worker device 102 may receive a short messaging service message to inform him about his job identification together with a card including his skill set information.

The skilled worker information relates to an availability of the skilled worker. That is, the skilled worker information indicates when the skilled worker may be available to take on the next job opportunity, e.g, next week or next month. This may be at the end of the existing job opportunity that the skilled worker is currently doing. Advantageously, this reduces a waste of valuable time and resources, both from the employer and job candidate perspectives. In specific implementations, the proxy server 108 may also be configured to communicate with, or include, another database 114. The database 114 may be separate from the database 109. Alternatively, the database 114 may be included in the database 109. The database 114 stores information relating to a plurality of employers and their corresponding available jobs opportunities that they offer. In various embodiments, each of the employer information comprises a job requirement and an expected amount (amount that the employer is willing to pay) for the corresponding one or more job opportunities that they are looking for people. Also, the employer information also includes an industrial description (or industry-type) of each of the employers. The industrial description describes the type of industry that the employer is in, e.g., construction, shipping, courier or transportation.

As mentioned above, the role of the proxy server 108 is to facilitate communication between the acquirer server 106 and the issuer server 110 or the skilled worker device 102 and the employer device 104. Therefore, the proxy server 108 may serve as a means through which the acquirer server 106 may communicate with the issuer server 110 in a manner that payments and authentication may be performed. Additionally or alternatively, the proxy server 108 may serve as a means through which the skilled worker device 102 may communicate with the employer 104 in a manner that job opportunities may be identified. In specific implementations, the proxy server 108 may receive skill set information and skilled worker information when identifying a job opportunity, preferable in a target location, and subsequently store / update the information in at least the database 109. The target location may be a continent, a country, a state, a province, a county, a city and an area covered by a postal code.

In specific implementations, the proxy server 108 is further configured to perform additional operations. For example, the proxy server 108 may be configured to update the database 109 whenever a skilled worker registers for an account or links his bank account to his account. Additionally, the proxy server 108 may also be configured to calculate a worker preference score based on the information that the skilled worker has provided.

For example, if the calculated worker preference score shows that the skilled worker has done a job assignment relating to laying down of bricks and the rating (or review) from his employer for that assignment is good, the proxy server 108 may identify a similar job opportunity to the skilled worker at a target (or desired) location. In various examples, the skilled worker may be looking for a job opportunity at a target location (interested location or desired location) that is different from locations at where he has worked before or at where he is staying.

Additionally or alternatively, the proxy server 108 may be configured to retrieve job data relating to laying down of bricks from employers who have a higher worker preference score rating. However, this analysis is usually incomplete because proxy server 108 is not configured to communicate with the database 109 which stores skill set.

Similarly, if the analysis of the skill set information of skilled worker user shows that the skilled worker tends to accept jobs from a certain industry, proxy server 108 may be configured to identify job opportunities relating to employers of that particular industry-type (or industrial description) to the skilled worker. This is effective in identifying job candidates who have the relevant industrial experience. As mentioned in the above, the target location may be a continent, a country, a state, a province, a county, a city and an area covered by a postal code. In an embodiment, the external data is also combined with information relating to the skilled worker and the employer in generating the purchase preference. Various algorithms/rules can be stored in the proxy server 108 and can be applied to generate the purchase preference

The process described above involves multiple parties (e.g., skilled worker, employer, acquirer, issuer, payment facilitator). However, the process may be essentially viewed as one between a skilled worker and a employer (with the other parties facilitating the process).

Figure 2 shows a flow chart illustrating a method for identifying the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker according to an example embodiment. The method 200 may be performed by one or more purpose-built computing device, such as the proxy server 108 that is coupled to one or more databases. At step 202, a worker preference in at least one target location is generated based on skill set information and skilled worker information retrieved from one or more databases. The skill set information relates to at least one skill that skilled worker possesses. The skilled worker information comprises information relating to an availability of the skilled worker. At step 204, a worker preference score based on the generated worker preference is calculated. At step 206, available job data from the one or more databases based on the calculated worker preference score is retrieved. The job data identifies one or more job opportunities that are available at the target location. At step 208, the job opportunity in the target location suitable for the skilled worker is identified based on the calculated worker preference score.

A job opportunity in the target location may be identified based on the skill set information and the skilled worker information. The proxy server 108 identifies a plurality of variables by selecting the relevant criteria in the worker preference as the variables and assigning weights to the selected variables. For example, the criteria selected to be the variables are rating from at least one of the past employers, the hours that have been put in for each type of job, skills that have acquired (including knowledge, attitude and performance), productivity (including the amount of work that has been done over a specific period of time), work efficiency and quality of work done. The calculated worker preference score may be stored together with details of the corresponding employer who offered the job for future references. That is, in some embodiments, it may be possible for the proxy server 108 to retrieve available job data from employers who have worker preference scores higher than a predetermined threshold score (e.g., any value that is pre-set or determined by any party). For example, if a skilled worker has clocked many hours in doing a specific task and is very efficient at doing it, the relevant worker preference score will be high and the proxy server 108 may only retrieve available job data who matches his experience (that is, retrieving available job data from employers who has worker preference score higher than a predetermined threshold score). Advantageously, this provides a clear pathway for skilled workers (e.g., informal construction workers to grow in their trade).

In various embodiments, the employer information that is retrieved from the database comprises a job requirement, an expected commencement date, a compensation amount (e.g., salary), an industrial description for each of the job opportunities. The proxy server 108 then identifies the job opportunity for the skilled worker by matching the job requirement and / or the expected commencement date with the skill set information and the skilled worker information ( indicating when the skilled worker is available) of the skilled worker. Also, the proxy server 108 identifies the job opportunity for the skilled worker by corresponding an amount that the skilled worker would like to receive (e.g., expected amount) with the compensation amount that the employers are offering. That is, the proxy server 108 may determine if the amount that the skilled worker would like to receive is lower than or equal to the compensation amount that each of the employer is providing. A job opportunity may be identified if the employer for that job opportunity is offering an amount that that is higher than an amount that the skilled amount would like to get. Also, a job opportunity may be identified in the target location by matching the skill set information of the skilled worker with the industrial description of the employer.

In an embodiment, the employer device 104 is managed by an employer. In specific implementations, the skilled worker device 102 and the employer device 104 may be fitted with a wireless communications interface such as a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface. The skilled worker device 102 is enabled to electronically communicate with the employer device 104 to perform the transaction. NFC is a set of standards to establish radio communication between devices by bringing them into close proximity such as only a few centimetres. NFC standards cover communication protocols and data exchange formats, and are based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology.

The skilled worker device 102 is capable of wireless communication using a suitable protocol with the employer device 104. For example, embodiments may be implemented using skilled worker devices 102 that are capable of communicating with WiFi / Bluetooth-enabled (e.g, BLE enabled) employer devices 104. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that depending on the wireless communication protocol used, appropriate handshaking procedures may need to be carried out to establish communication between the skilled worker device 102 and the employer device 104. For example, in the case of Bluetooth communication, discovery and pairing of the skilled worker device 102 and the merchant device 104 may be carried out to establish communication.

In an embodiment, tracking is done by an employer, e.g, a site supervisor, who has either an NFC enabled reader or a BLE enabled beacon on site. Each day, the skilled worker checks in and out of the site by swiping a token representative his account (e.g., a skilled worker device 102) against the reader or beacon logging in the hours put in.

The proxy server 108 then rates the skilled worker based on points. Some of the parameters, comprised in the skill set information, include: hours that have been put in, skills that have been completed (Knowledge, attitude and performance), productivity (work done over a certain amount of time), work efficiency, quality of work done.

In various embodiments, a mentor (or employer) may be paired to the skilled worker and the skilled worker is able to get access to relevant on-site training allowing him to accumulate points for a better worker preference score to improve his skills. Advantageously, this provides a standardized way of measuring skills and experience which are recognized by regulatory bodies. Also, this provides an advantageous way for potential employers to identify job candidates (e.g, skilled worker) who have the relevant skills that are verified / trained by other industrial players. This effectively reduces the time required by the traditional interview process.

The following steps may be done at each party.

For the skilled worker

o He searches for training based on his interests.

o System also displays recommendations based on his current rating and experience giving him/her available training modules available, o System responds based on location, preference

o Alerts are SMS based 2 way responses. He receives a response if a mentor is willing to train him within a specific site,

o For on-site training, he sees a list of available mentors willing to mentor him.

(displayed based on ratings of the mentors)

o He selects a mentor and gets a notification once the mentor is available to train him.

o As training happens, he accumulates points within this skill set.

For the employer

o Employer registers on platform as a mentor

o Chooses his specific skills and enters his certificate ID or Registration ID.

(This picks his skills and expertise) (for verification). The certificate ID may be issued from a national regulatory body in any country.

o He gets alerts and notification to train specific people.

o Agrees to train specific people based on his preferences, location etc. o As he trains, he enters the competencies accomplished based on the occupational standards. E.g. Competency - use of tool, Skills - Laying 100 brick in 2 hours

In various embodiments, one single worker preference score may be calculated based on a rating from more than one employer, e.g., a contractor and a mentor, during an onsite training. In one embodiment, the skilled worker device 102 may receive a verification message verifying the training that the skilled worker has received. This may be included in the skilled worker information. For example, the skilled worker gets a notification (or SMS) for an onsite evaluation indicating date, time and location for the training. Advantageously, the skilled worker is informed that his current effort has been or will be recognized and verified; this will be helpful in his future job search.

In an embodiment, the worker preference score is based on ratings done by at least two people. The two people may be someone from the site (e.g., Site Supervisor and External examiner). Once the two parties rate, the proxy server 108 may then calculate the average score and computes the final grading based on this. If a skill is successfully acquired, a verification message or a notification will be sent out to the construction worker via SMS on his new skill that has been acquired. Based on his new skill set, he is now able to get access to more jobs within his network. A certificate ID (or a verification message) may then be issued by the trainer institution and included in the skilled worker information.

The mentor receives accolades and points based on no of people trained, number of people successfully acquired new skills, competency in training e.g., layering of bricks. As the construction job nears completion or at the end of the week, the proxy server 108 then computes the number of hours that the skilled worker has logged in. The employer then rates the skilled worker based on the occupational standards, quality of work and parameters listed above. In an example, the average pay is then automatically calculated based on the skilled worker's average rating and work hours and the skilled worker receives notification of amount to be expected. This amount may be communicated to the skilled worker at the beginning of the job assignment.

Information relating to compensation may be sent to the proxy server 108 including an identification of the employer and his bank account. Batch payments for the compensation may be done for the skilled worker on a periodic basis, for example, every week, or after completion of the job as specified by the employer. At any point in time, the skilled worker may use the skilled worker device 102 to query the amount due to him and work done at any time using SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) as well as through the application. By using the USSD, the skilled work may dial a predetermined code (e.g., * 123#) to query a balance of his bank account.

In various embodiments, the skilled worker may also use the skilled worker device 102 to effect financial transactions. For example, the skilled worker may use the skilled worker device 102 to get his pay via the acquirer server 106 and the issuer server 110 and then use it to pay third parties (e.g., food vendors) to pay for his food. The third parities may also use NFC-enabled devices to keep track of the amount that the skilled worker owes. The third parties' NFC-enabled devices may be in the form of a NFC-enabled reader which keeps track of an amount that the skilled worker owes the third parties. This may be possible because the skilled worker may use the skilled worker device 102 to tap on the NFC -enabled reader belonging to the third parties every time he would like to get food item. Once the skilled worker receives compensation for his job assignment, he may use his compensation to pay off these third parties. As mentioned in the above, the skilled worker device 102 and the employer device 104 may be fitted with a wireless communications interface such as a Near Field Communication (NFC) interface. The skilled worker device 102 is enabled to electronically communicate with the employer device 104 to perform the transaction. NFC is a set of standards to establish radio communication between devices by bringing them into close proximity such as only a few centimetres. In another embodiment, the skilled worker may obtain points during a job assignment. As he progresses in the job assignment, more points may be accumulated. The accumulated points may be used towards verifying the training or the type of work that the skilled worker has received or done. Additionally or alternatively, the accumulated points may be used to be included in the verification message so as to identify a type of the training that the skilled worker will need in the future. Advantageously, this plans a progressive training for the skilled worker. The accumulated points, which may be included in the verification message, may also serve as a way to identify a number of hours that the skilled worker has worked. As appreciated by the person skilled in the art, the number of hours is typically used to calculate an amount to pay the skilled worker. Additionally, the verification message may be linked to a plurality of employers and/ or a plurality of third parties who provide training. Examples of the third parties, include among other things, a national regulatory body that regulates the construction industry, national regulatory body is one who is responsible for managing registration of construction workers, architects, and construction companies, regulating training done. Also, the national regulatory body works with local ministry to ensure quality standards in construction are maintained. By linking the plurality of employers and the plurality of third parties (e.g, training institutions), this reduces the need for paper based certification verification. The verification message may include a certificate identifier (e.g, certificate ID) for this purpose.

Various modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Identifying a job opportunity suitable for a skilled work is important for ensuring business success. The method may be advantageous as there is no human bias. In addition, the method also provides accurate results in a fast and simple manner.

Figure 3 depicts an exemplary computer / computing device 300, hereinafter interchangeably referred to as a computer system 300, where one or more such computing devices 300 may be used to facilitate execution of the above-described method for predicting a demand for a business. In addition, one or more components of the computer system 300 may be used to realize the "module" and "database" in Figures 1 and 2. The following description of the computing device 300 is provided by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting.

As shown in Figure 3, the example computing device 300 includes a processor 304 for executing software routines. Although a single processor is shown for the sake of clarity, the computing device 300 may also include a multi-processor system. The processor 304 is connected to a communication infrastructure 306 for communication with other components of the computing device 300. The communication infrastructure 306 may include, for example, a communications bus, cross-bar, or network.

The computing device 300 further includes a main memory 308, such as a random access memory (RAM), and a secondary memory 310. The secondary memory 310 may include, for example, a storage drive 312, which may be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive or a hybrid drive and/or a removable storage drive 314, which may include a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a solid state storage drive (such as a USB flash drive, a flash memory device, a solid state drive or a memory card), or the like. The removable storage drive 314 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage medium 344 in a well-known manner. The removable storage medium 344 may include magnetic tape, optical disk, non-volatile memory storage medium, or the like, which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 314. As will be appreciated by persons skilled in the relevant art(s), the removable storage medium 344 includes a computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer executable program code instructions and/or data. In an alternative implementation, the secondary memory 310 may additionally or alternatively include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computing device 300. Such means can include, for example, a removable storage unit 322 and an interface 340. Examples of a removable storage unit 322 and interface 340 include a program cartridge and cartridge interface (such as that found in video game console devices), a removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated socket, a removable solid state storage drive (such as a USB flash drive, a flash memory device, a solid state drive or a memory card), and other removable storage units 322 and interfaces 340 which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 322 to the computer system 300.

The computing device 300 also includes at least one communication interface 324. The communication interface 324 allows software and data to be transferred between computing device 300 and external devices via a communication path 326. In various embodiments of the inventions, the communication interface 324 permits data to be transferred between the computing device 300 and a data communication network, such as a public data or private data communication network. The communication interface 324 may be used to exchange data between different computing devices 300 which such computing devices 300 form part an interconnected computer network. Examples of a communication interface 324 can include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a communication port (such as a serial, parallel, printer, GPIB, IEEE 1394, RJ45, USB), an antenna with associated circuitry and the like. The communication interface 324 may be wired or may be wireless. Software and data transferred via the communication interface 324 are in the form of signals which can be electronic, electromagnetic, optical or other signals capable of being received by communication interface 324. These signals are provided to the communication interface via the communication path 326.

As shown in Figure 3, the computing device 300 further includes a display interface 302 which performs operations for rendering images to an associated display 330 and an audio interface 332 for performing operations for playing audio content via associated speaker(s) 334.

As used herein, the term "computer program product" may refer, in part, to removable storage medium 344, removable storage unit 322, a hard disk installed in storage drive 312, or a carrier wave carrying software over communication path 326 (wireless link or cable) to communication interface 324. Computer readable storage media refers to any non-transitory, non-volatile tangible storage medium that provides recorded instructions and/or data to the computing device 300 for execution and/or processing. Examples of such storage media include magnetic tape, CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray™ Disc, a hard disk drive, a ROM or integrated circuit, a solid state storage drive (such as a USB flash drive, a flash memory device, a solid state drive or a memory card), a hybrid drive, a magneto -optical disk, or a computer readable card such as a SD card and the like, whether or not such devices are internal or external of the computing device 300. Examples of transitory or non-tangible computer readable transmission media that may also participate in the provision of software, application programs, instructions and/or data to the computing device 300 include radio or infra-red transmission channels as well as a network connection to another computer or networked device, and the Internet or Intranets including e-mail transmissions and information recorded on Websites and the like. The computer programs (also called computer program code) are stored in main memory 308 and/or secondary memory 310. Computer programs can also be received via the communication interface 324. Such computer programs, when executed, enable the computing device 300 to perform one or more features of embodiments discussed herein. In various embodiments, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 304 to perform features of the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system 300.

Software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the computing device 300 using the removable storage drive 314, the storage drive 312, or the interface 340. Alternatively, the computer program product may be downloaded to the computer system 300 over the communications path 326. The software, when executed by the processor 304, causes the computing device 300 to perform functions of embodiments described herein. It is to be understood that the embodiment of Figure 3 is presented merely by way of example. Therefore, in some embodiments one or more features of the computing device 300 may be omitted. Also, in some embodiments, one or more features of the computing device 300 may be combined together. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more features of the computing device 300 may be split into one or more component parts.

In an implementation, the proxy server 108 may be generally described as a physical device comprising at least one processor 402 and at least one memory 404 including computer program code. The at least one memory 404 and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor 402, cause the physical device to perform the operations described in Figure 2. An example of the payment network proxy server 108 is shown in Figure 4.

For example, the method of Figure 2 may be implemented as software and stored in a non- transitory fashion in the secondary memory 310 or the removable storage units 318, 322 of the computer device 300.

It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.