Allianz, Venture for Africa, Sterling Bank among companies rethinking graduate recruitment
Program aims to connect talent to businesses and foster a corporate culture of education
Nexford University, the Washington DC-based next-generation university platform, announces the launch of its ‘Career Coalition’ in partnership with major employers. The coalition aims to bridge gaps between employers and Nexford University to the benefit of talent across the world.
Members of the coalition program are forward-thinking employers committed to leveraging education to drive business performance. These employers recognize the value of upskilling and reskilling their team members, in addition to the value of partnering with universities to recruit qualified entry-level talent.
In 2021, Nexford announced the launch if its Learn to Earn (LTE) pathway programs, aimed at connecting aspiring talent to businesses and facilitating graduate recruitment, with partners already confirmed from multiple large employers across Africa.
Initial members of this ‘Career Coalition’ include a diverse range of leading employers such as Allianz, Sterling Bank, Venture for Capital, Eva Pharma, Hassan Allam Holding and open banking fintech company Mono.
Employers participating in the program will share data about their workforce and skill gaps with Nexford, which the university will use to design tailored pathway programs for learners to acquire the ideal skillsets that best fit with the needs of partner employers.
Learners from select career coalition partners will be able to apply for partial and full scholarships when enrolling into one of the employer-focused pathway programs to gain specific certificates or degrees. Current employees of ‘Career Coalition’ partner companies will have the opportunity to be reimbursed for completing selected degrees with Nexford University on graduation.
Nexford is committed to solving the world’s biggest employer challenge – skills – and bridging the gap between learners and employers. The Career Coalition complements Nexford’s continued global expansion, and its commitment to enable social and economic mobility through high quality yet affordable American education, 100% online.
Fadl Al-Tarzi, CEO of Nexford University, commented:
“The Career Coalition program is designed to seamlessly integrate employer needs into Nexford’s programs – creating more meaningful connections between employers and talent. It will benefit learners, and employers, while reducing the amount of subjectivity that currently exists within the recruitment process, as well as the traditional learning & development process. Through purposefully designed programs and data-rich tools both employers and talent should be empowered to make more meaningful decisions.”
Jennifer Bangoura, Director of Career Innovation, Nexford University, commented:
“From attracting qualified talent to maintaining employee motivation and retention, we are consistently hearing from employers, employees, and job seekers that they struggle to find credentials that align with workforce needs and have difficulty keeping pace with rapidly changing technology.
Through the Career Coalition, Nexford will act as a gateway for innovative, progressive companies that want to pre-screen graduate talent to fill roles. We are looking forward to working with all new and future members to boost opportunities for graduate talent across the world.”
The newly launched initiative will add value to Nexford’s already strong employer community particularly in the African continent, where hundreds of employees are already enrolled in the university’s recently launched Nexford for Talent (N4T) program.
Complementing Nexford’s existing employee upskilling offering through the N4T program, as well as The Global Grid mentorship initiative, recently launched and aimed at connecting talent to global remote employment opportunities, the Career Coalition program is another element of Nexford’s approach to rethinking the future of higher education.
Gideon Ataraire, CEO, Allianz for Ghana added:
“Learning, unlearning, and relearning is essential in employee development and that is why we do everything possible to ensure our employees are trained and developed every step of their career journey. Assessing talents, sharpening, and developing skills must be an intentional strategy for every company, hence our resolve to partner with institutions such as Nexford to make such strategic goal possible”
Tobi Lafinhan, Co-Founder, Venture for Africa said:
“Our vision at Venture for Africa is to contribute to the growth of African tech ecosystems by bridging talent gaps and building a strong pipeline of future talent. We are excited to continue to scale our impact with partners like Nexford University that are committed to finding new ways to address the growing talent density challenges in our ecosystem.
“We look forward to forging a stronger connection between high-growth start-ups in Africa and skilled individuals around the world looking for the right opportunity to devote their passion, skills and time.”
About Nexford University
Nexford University is a next-generation university platform, built for leaders, not followers.
Via its online learning experience, it will positively impact millions of lives around the world. It believes in taking a different path and standing out from the crowd.
The traditional university experience hasn’t changed for 100 years. Nexford believes the experience is no longer fit for purpose, and it is time for a paradigm shift in higher education. One that puts learners first, giving them the skills to succeed now – and in the future.
Nexford provides learners with a fully online global education based on mastery of competencies that are relevant in the workplace. It equips learners with the skills needed for lifelong learning and skill development. A global learner community supports learning and success through the innovative use of technology, such as AI and machine learning.