Nexford University, an online Washington DC-based next-gen platform offering US-accredited courses globally, has entered into a tripartite partnership…
Nexford University, an online Washington DC-based next-gen platform offering US-accredited courses globally, has entered into a tripartite partnership with the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) and Africa Digital Media Institute.
The collaboration hopes to tackle graduate recruitment difficulties, a major problem in East Africa. According to a Nation Africa report, a Kenyan graduate has to wait for up to 5 years before securing a job.
To address this problem, Nexford and its new allies will attempt to identify the primary concerns that Kenyan employers have while outlining required of job-seeking graduates.
The partnership involves a three-phase approach which will begin with the FKE undertaking a nationwide survey to get a clear view of the country’s recruitment needs. Launched last month, this study will point out high-demand skills and skill shortages and assess the evolution of recruitment in the era of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI).
Two hundred seventy of the country’s biggest employers will participate in this exercise.
Nexford and ADMI will use the feedback to create a sustainable curriculum for East Africa–based students. The online university hopes to draw from its vast experience, which has seen it build AI-powered curricula by quickly analyzing millions of job openings.
This partnership will culminate in the establishment of pathway programs and upskilling courses. This venture will help raise well-rounded talent alongside offering employees in various industries the chance to acquire new skills and contribute to their organization’s growth.
In a press statement shared with Technext, Fadl Al Tarxi – founder and CEO of Nextford University – says, “As the Kenyan economy continues to grow and undergo digital transformation, Nexford is well-placed to address local and global talent shortages. We look forward to collaborating to upskill Kenyan youth – enabling their job readiness in Kenya and setting them up for future careers.”
Nexford is building a generation of job-ready graduates
Nextford University’s commitment to easing Kenyan graduates’ hardship in the job market couldn’t have come at a better time. While there’s no shortage of university admission seekers in Kenya, it has become increasingly tough for graduates to secure employment.
One of the major reasons for this is the inability of tertiary institutions to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among their students. By failing to tailor their courses to align with the ever-changing work trends, these graduates approach job listings with the wrong skills and mindset.
For instance, AI has been making waves across the world. With the ability to perform activities in less time than humans, many workers are afraid that increased AI adoption by companies will see them lose their jobs. Although the technology has often been tagged a “helping hand” instead of a replacement, several video illustrators in China are losing jobs to AI-driven image generators.
The FKE acknowledges the ripple effect AI and other elements of digital transformation will have in Kenya, especially in the job industry. “As an employers’ Federation, we understand that the world of work is being impacted by a fourth industrial revolution and transformed by artificial intelligence & other emerging technologies. This will result in the displacement of a large number of workers and hence to forestall this, there is need for workforce upskilling and reskilling,” says Jacqueline Mugo, CEO of the FKE.
Despite not being home to many unemployed university graduates, Kenya’s involvement in tech can’t be ignored. The country’s tech landscape has become a popular destination for some of the world’s biggest players in the industry.
Google recently joined the conversation by supporting “its first-ever African product development hub in Nairobi as part of a KES 111.5 billion investment.” As part of efforts to widen the African Development Center’s reach, Microsoft opened two new offices in Kenya and Nigeria, respectively.
Nexford’s unconventional approach to tertiary learning
Founded in 2019, Nexford University has devoted its efforts and resources to building a workforce with in-demand skills. Like regular universities, applicants can browse through a section of courses which, upon completion, will be awarded certificates, undergraduate degrees, and master’s degrees. AI and Automation, start-up building, and digital transformation are available courses.
Classes are 100% online, including assignment submission and grading. Although based in the U.S., the online university caters to students from over 100 countries, including Nigeria.
Nexford’s entry into Nigeria has seen former Minister of Education Obiageli Ezekwesili, become a board member in 2021. In the same year, Sterling Bank CEO Abubakar Suleiman entered a partnership with Nexford to birth a global talent pipeline called “Find Your Future”
Ezekwesili and Suleiman were speakers at a ceremony for 400 Nexford graduates in Lagos last September.