Washington D.C. based next generation university platform, Nexford University has announced the Nigerian launch of its global mentorship program – the “Global Grid”, which is aimed at developing talent and promoting the personal, professional and social success of its learners in the country.
The program coincides with the celebration of Nexford’s third anniversary. Co-founded in 2019 by CEO Fadl Al Tarzi, the online university has grown into a global platform connecting learners, regardless of age, gender or social class with global employers.
Commenting on the development, Fadl Al Tarzi, CEO of Nexford University, noted since day one the university has a vision that the world is evolving into a virtual grid, where qualified talent should have access to career opportunities regardless of their physical location.
He argued that since 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,” he said.
In Nigeria, Nexford has pioneered programs connecting learners to employers with its successful cooperation with Sterling Bank. With 87% 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 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.
The Global Grid is a global mentorship program launched by Nexford University to enable talent across the world to prepare for remote jobs. The program aims to increase awareness around the millions of jobs that are moving online, and the skills learners need to have to qualify for these jobs.
The Global Grid program 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 program will deep dive into the specific skills employers are looking for and how talent across the world can join this virtual, global grid.
The initiative 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.
Nexford has carefully chosen well-known thought leaders in their fields to provide guidance and share business skills via a structured online mentorship program.
In Nigeria, mentors include:
- Dr. Ola Brown, founder of Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company – Africa’s leading healthcare and wellness sector investment firm – with previous leadership roles at the British National Health Service;
- Dr. Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, Managing Director of The Education Partnership Centre – Nigeria’s pioneer education partnership organization specializing in research, design, implementation, support and evaluation of education programs and initiatives across various sectors of the economy. Dr Modupe is also an Asia Global Fellow at the University of Hong Kong, and Executive Board Member for Human Capital Africa;
- Yemi Faseun, Chief Talent Officer of YF Talent Partners – HR consulting, leadership, and culture transformation firm. Yemi’s previous experience includes HR leadership positions at multinational telecoms services provider Etisalat, and at Globacom, the fastest growing telecommunication company in sub-Saharan Africa; and
- Gbenga Totoyi, Partner at Alan&Grant – the Lagos-based consultancy firm creating innovative HR & Enterprise solutions – and Group Head of Human Resources of Consolidated Hallmark Insurance Plc – a Nigerian Stock Exchange listed insurance company.
- Mobola Akingbala – Chief Marketing Officer at Hirefoster – a company that acquires, trains, and connects talented marketing professionals to companies who need their skills worldwide.