MindtheGap Management Trainee Programme for Corps Members

In view of the obvious reality that Africa is the next investment destination of the world, there is an URGENT need to build a HUGE Database of Premium Graduates in order to position Nigeria as the hub.

Though the privailing Sociopolitical and security situation might not seem favourable, there is a need to strenghten other factors of production like Labour that are within our individual control.

It is therefore my pleasure to invite you to join; MindtheGap Management Trainee Programme (Nigeria) MindtheGap evolved from its career mentoring scope to a fulfil fledge management trainee to cater to the internship need of Nigeria Graduates. This became an issue of National Emergency to provide a support system for the recent National Youth Service Corps Scheme posting policy.

The new posting policy favours posting of Corps Members to ONLY four (4) sectors Education, Health, Agriculture and Infrastructure which are mostly Public Sector. Though it is a great policy but it has the tendency to further “disadvantage” the already disadvantaged Nigerian Graduates.

The policy will deprive few of the Graduates that have the opportunity of honing their skills and learn some basic workplace culture at their Places of Primary Assignments the privilege and also limit Corporate Nigeria opportunity to be a part of the growth of these potential employees.

This platform presents an opportunity for Discerning Professionals and Brands to join in shaping the future of Nigeria Graduates.

Good2Go…

Over 70% of Nigeria Graduates stands a chance to gainful employment and global relevance if they can LEAPFROG: Regroup, Retrain, Retool and Refocus
through Information and Communication Technology and Social Entrepreneurship, integrating their Career (Job & Entrepreneurial) aspiration into the mainstream of National and Global Economic Development.

As we countdown to passing out of 2011 Batch B in June 2012. The BIG question to every 2011 Batch B is, so what NEXT?

Each of the over 60, 000 2011 Batch B Corps Members have the following Five (5) option to deploy themselves to immediately after passing out;

What does a Successful (National Youth) Service year means to you?

Social Entrepreneurship Revolution …realigning the ODDS

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   As we turn into the 2nd quarter of 2012 over 60,000 fresh graduates will be released into the socioeconomic landscape of Nigeria. Some are very clear and already pursuing their career and aspiration while many are not sure of where and how to deploy their skills after passing out

 Also as the National Youth Service Scheme reposition for relevance and greater impact in the Human Capital Deployment through the New Posting Policy, a great number of Nigerian Youth who could have used the service year to hone their skills through their Place of Primary Assignment would have to rethink their options and find a way to maximize the posting policy.

 Nigerian Graduates are faced with a the responsibility of wearing their thinking cap and make sense of changes in their Status and the socioeconomic landscape.

 More than ever, the need to MindtheGap between “the classroom and the boardroom has become increasingly necessary.

 Welcome to MindtheGap Career Mentoring Programme.

11C PPA Opportunities

1. Radio Station needs 7 corp members:

- 1 for engineering
- 3 for creating ideas for programmes and business development etc, for activation (i.e. executing stuff, arranging interviews, collabos etc, following up relationships, etc).

So they need to be very active, creative, energetic, speak fluently, have great telephone manners, etc

- 1 for marketing

- 1 for news and

- 1 for PA for station manager

2. An Oil & Gas Company needs:

- An Accountant

3. Human Capital Development Firm needs 2:

- Account & Admin officer (smart with hands-on accounting skill)

- Community Mobilizer (creative, people & Social Media skill – graphic & web design/ multi media skills will be an added advantage)

4. A start up needs:

- A creative designer & content Manager

- An Admin, Account & Business Manager

5. Manufacturing Company needs:

- 10 corpers with science background, preferably in engineering

Kindly can 08099676999 if interested in any for further details.

Remember: No matter where you are posted, your Personal Community Development Project remains your best opportunity to “jump start your career”.

“your contribution is your credential”

For assistance on how to turn your “Passion2Profit” call: Ayo CEO on 08099909995

Coach Us Please!

Good Morning & compliment of the season. Trust its been a very exciting 2011. 2012 promises to be more exciting and fulfilling year. As you close up on the year preparing for 2012, we request that you put us in your plan for 2012 and coach us please!

The just concluded (7th) Batch C MindtheGap Career summit at the NYSC Camp Iyana Ipaja, Lagos was another great success. The summit was theme: Breaking New Grounds (unlocking Community Businesses as the strategy for Massive Employment & Job Creation for Nigeria Graduates). With speakers like Mr. Dele Alake (MD Tv Continental) & Lanre Aina (Business Analyst, Google) and speakers from the top 4 platoons for the debate competition our minds were so enriched with information, education & hands-on skill impartation.

Over 400 has so far requested to be mentored out of which 30 has been selected as tentative team leaders & a 100 has registered for the CUG.

As they pass out of camp today Tue Dec 06, many of them are looking forward to the opportunity of been mentored by you like we had told them and while with them yesterday, many expressed their expectation from MindtheGap with high hopes that a Big Brother or Sister is waiting out there to cater to them and give them the Highly required mentoring.

All said, the December Career Mentoring Session was postponed to hold this saturday 10th Dec to serve as “Accreditation & Integration Session for the fresh out of camp 2011 Batch C with the following objectives:

1. Welcoming and Integrating the new Batch C into MindthaGap.

2. Train all participants on BNG: Choosing and Executing Personal CDS as a strategy for personal Job Creation and Employment Generation.

3. Peer Mentoring via group discussion and engagements.

4. Updating of their records with their Place of Primary Assignment, Local Goverment & other info which will assist us in breaking them into a group of 10 under you

5. The unveiling of the New MindtheGap BNG – Breaking New Grounds strategy for mentoring Nig Graduates for your review & necessary inputs.

Whilst we are strongly encouraging and adopting a peer mentoring strategy to make up for unavailability of Mentors while also reviewing our strategy for a better Mentor Mobilization, Motivation & Management, we trust that we can count on you to be there for these Proteges.

The venue for the training is at Etals Hotel, kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun and the time is 9am.

We look forward to seeing you as you come to share your precious time with someone who needs it.

For further clarification, don’t hesitate to Call me on 08094830001 or Tunji on 08099676999 or send us a mail.

With our mumbling and fumbling to provide this coaching for these young people over 750 has been mentored to date with amazing testimonials from many of them. We have also been invited to take the project beyond Lagos state as we currently have Proteges in Zamfara & Delta state who benefits from MindtheGap.

I sincerely look forward to seeing you.

Regards

Tayo
For MindtheGap

Entrepreneurship Module

Entrepreneurship is the theme of November MCS and the key learning are as follows:

1. Recognise that organisations are not set up to give you Jobs but rather every Enterprise is set up with a goal of solving a particular problem for its target market

2. You must know the problem you want to and can solve for your would be employer and sharpen you ability to be the best to solver the problem. Every organisation has what is called- The Job/The Man

3. Admit it that you are a problem solver on behalf of the Entrepreneur that employs you and you are either solving problem for Internal or external customer of your organisation

4. You must know exact what is required of you to meet your internal or external customers need for the benefit of your Entrepreneur. Don’t wait to be trained get a Laptop or an internet enables phone and start your personal career research

5. You must recognise that you are a service provider to your Employer and that makes you an IntraPreneur/Entrepreneur. You contribution is what determines what you are paid, where you are able to go next not just your wishes.

6. You must recognise that someday at 65 years old you can’t afford to still be an employee. At 65 years old, you have 5 options:

(i) rise to the position of a career MD of a company

(ii) you are running your own business

(iii) You are an Executive Director in a Joint Venture with friends

(iv) You are a Consultant in a particular field and you are appointed on Company Board of Directors

(v) a Technocrat/Lead of thought/Politician/Opinion Leader in a community helping to shape policy at Local, State, National or Global Level

Now is the time to prepare for you preferred outcome!!!

…help our youths the TRUTH to know…

Know you know the TRUTH…

What you need to do know…

1. Go on-line and do a research on Entrepreneurship and ensure you the mindset of an entrepreneur and enterprises

2. Meet with your Team members and discuss your finding and come up with action items (preferablly on General CD day)

3. Write an a short essay on “How to get your dream job ” as if you are advising someone else and post on http://mindthegapng.wordpress.com

Deadline is November 30th

Breaking New Grounds: Turning your Passion to Profit

Breaking New Grounds – Turning your Passion to Profit (a practical guide to turning NYSC Personal Community Development Project to Post NYSC Community Business)

The New Reality
With over 70% (50% been youth) of the 160M+ Nigeria populations unemployed (Bureau of statistic), the focus of NYSC orientation programme must be designed to integrate Corps Members to the pressing social needs.

Their Career trainings MUST go beyond the usual: how to prepare a winning Cv, how to answer interview questions, etc because they have unique opportunities opening up as result of the Global Economic Recovery.

The realities of today requires that Corps Members MUST acquire peculiar skills like Innovation, stakeholder analysis, fund raising, etc through active use of their weekly 8 hours for Personal Community Development Project. This will serve a (service learning)platform for honing their skills and establish their interest in a particular field.

After camp, they will be integrated into the Social Entrepreneurship Network & skill building programmes which are designed to help me migrate their Personal Community Development Project to Community Business after NYSC.

Below are E-Green Service Personal CDS Guideline & Synopsis of my 2nd book: Breaking New Grounds – Turning your Passion to Profit (a practical guide to Personal Community Development Project to Community Business)

A. Project Conceptualization:
- Passion2Profit Career Assessment
- Problem Identification
- Research
- Solution Articulation
- Project Planning (PM Training)
- Proposal Writing

B. Project Execution:
- Advocacy
- Training
- Clubbing/Community
- Main Project

C. PCDP to Community Business
- Publicity (project website & SM)
- Commissioning
- Becoming a Trusted Authority
- Registering a Social Business
- Strengthening your Niche
- Getting first contract/job

D. Establishing your Social Business (Post NYSC)
- Establish vital relationship with professional body (if in existence)
- Attend relevant conferences, workshops, etc
- Volunteer in related project as a Social Business
- Google Alert & Continuous research
- Use Social Media/Blog to build niche
- Establish and follow through a “Financing your greatness” plan
(Personal, Friends & Family, Corporate Partnership and Return on Investment)
- Access to “Social Business Loan”
from a Leading Banks

Testimonial & Motivation
In the past 3 years MindtheGap has inspired in excess of 50,000 and directly mentored over 2000 Corps Members with exciting testimonials from some of them from every continent & Nigeria.

However as we prepare for another orientation camping, career summit & recruitment of a new batch of 250 proteges; our desire for greater impact on the project even as the demand to deploy the programme to other states from NYSC increases has equally grown.

Consequently, during several reviews & research into global practices in the sector & in line with prevail situation and emerging opportunities in our country, we believe its time we create this intervention.

Our Goal is to start 365 social businesses in the first 365 day of our operation.

MindtheGap Accountability Session with Dr. Christopher Kolade

http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yk9tfSdNq_8/Suy686LdDeI/AAAAAAAAFVs/HQDeMFsshCI/s1024/DSC07492.JPG

November Career Mentoring Session

MindtheGap November Mentoring session: A must attend!

2011 Batch B November Mentoring Session Module: Entrepreneurship holds on Saturday, Nov 5, 2011, Time 9- 1pm, Venue: NYSC State Secretariat, Babs Animashaun, (Old Census) Surulere.

Update: In the past 3 months (1st semester) the batch has gone through; iBrand by Pai Gamde (Head HR HITv), ICT by Sina Oyegoke (Microsoft Platform Development Evangelist), Project Management by Goke Nathaniel (Principal Partner, Project People).

In the course of the semester, some of the protege (Team Leader) have attended external career enhancement training: Go Full Speed with RISE while over 30 of them are currently going through the Project People/CUPE Executive Prince2 Certification Scholarship which would lead to a N1M project financing for successful participant Community Development Project.

The November session is quite strategic as it will be an opportunity to close up on 1st semester focus (Career Identification) with an assessment of the key lessons that we trust has been impacted to them.

The 2nd Semester will focus on “Buy the Field” which will cover such topics as: Entrepreneurship with: Ayo Adedeji (Principal Partner Mich Consulting), Human Resource Management with Jimi Tewe (CEO Inspiro Consulting & Sustainable Development with Ngozi Obigwe (COO Leap Africa) . In the course of the semester, it is expected that Proteges will start their Personal Community Development Projects -PCDS as a means of truly putting their interest on a particular field using the PCDS to hone their skills and get the necessary recognition (reputation capital) for their post NYSC pursuit.

During this semester, Proteges will also attend the BNG – Breaking New Grounds Enterprise Incubation Programme of E-Green Services and engage in other necessary Job Creation, Employability & CDS activities.

I can boldly announce that we can now have that dialogue on “how to get a free DELL personal laptop”

Wow!

MindtheGap!!

It kept getting better!!!

Now is the time to join this movement!