By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The global mentorship program of Nexford University called Global Grid has been launched in Nigeria with the aim to connect learners to promising careers through mentorship.
Serving as mentors for the scheme are Dr Ola Brown of Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company, Dr Modupe Adefeso-Olateju of The Education Partnership Centre, Yemi Faseun of YF Talent Partners, and Gbenga Totoyi of Alan & Grant.
According to the Washington D.C.-based next-generation university platform, Global Grid enables talents from across the world to prepare for remote jobs as it increases awareness around the millions of jobs that are moving online, and the skills learners need to have to qualify for these jobs.
It stems from Nexford’s belief that when equipped with the right education, talent should be able to access jobs regardless of location, gender, race or social status. The initiative will deep-dive into the specific skills employers are looking for and how talent across the world can join this virtual, global grid.
It comprises a diverse pool of thought leaders and industry experts from the healthcare, finance, education, human resources, and insurance sectors – involving publicly available webinars and personal mentoring of select learners who successfully apply to participate.
“Since day one we’ve had the vision that the world is evolving into a virtual grid, where qualified talent should have access to career opportunities regardless of their physical location.
“COVID-19 has accelerated digital transformation by at least 5-10 years, today’s adoption of online education and remote working are making the virtual grid a reality.
“If you have connectivity and the right education you will have access to job opportunities regardless of your location,” the CEO of Nexford University, Fadl Al Tarzi, stated.
In Nigeria, Nexford has pioneered programs connecting learners to employers with its successful cooperation with Sterling Bank.
With 87 per cent of global employers are facing skills gaps, over the coming decade, the majority of global employers will have remote teams. These shifts are going to transform the career prospects of learners in Nigeria and across the world.
Mentorship through the ‘Global Grid’ initiative is going to help Nexford’s Nigerian learners get on this global grid and prepare them for future careers.
“We have been meticulous in selecting suitable mentors and inspiring thought leaders to drive the program and share their leadership experience and knowledge. It is a perfect complement to our existing offering, and we are delighted to announce it as we celebrate our third anniversary,” Jennifer Bangoura, Director of Career Innovation at Nexford University, commented.
Modupe Gbadeyanka