The Success Story Of African Moms

The African mothers are no longer preferred to be an employee. The recent government data shows that moms have proved that they can be successful businessperson. They overcome all odds to fund their family needs, top priority being the childcare. They adhere obligation of a parent who intend to provide better living standard for their child and the family. The success story of the African moms shows the world that they, too, can be great strategist who can use digital platform more accurately.

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The Origin For Rise

Analyzing the government data, Pew Research Center reveals that working mom percentage has risen form 23 to 29 percent compare to the previous decade. According to Pew, there are factors leading the trend to rise. The main contributing factors are:

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• Meeting the childcare expense
• Long working hours at office
• Job pressure 
• Unavailability of job 
• Necessity of finance

The Digital Office

Technology has enabled African womens the keep their job while fulfilling the family duties. Job and childcare being the top priority, women prefer to manage both simultaneously. Working online has suited majority of the womens. The flexibility of timing and advantage of work from home is now a popular trend among the African moms.

Highly educated women who earned #postgraduate_diploma courses can manage to start a family and build a career too - http://t.co/agPSSuiG5T

— Makena Conteh (@makena_conteh) June 9, 2015

The Success Story

To bear the childcare and other family expense women work in different sectors. But even working for extra hours was not a match to met the sole purpose. Holy Hurd in his book Venture Mom has written about how womens are fulfilling the responsibility as parent by caring the child and managing the work. Her book contains inspirational struggle of womens becoming the successful entrepreneur. In one such example, Venture Mom, tells story of a mother whose financial survival was at stake. The women sold the deceased parents household items online, to support her family. Gradually her business grew and people sold goods through her. With the help of online marketing help she gradually became an popular digital marketer. Today, being an proficient she trains people on digital marketing and selling products online.

The Raised Points

The book Venture Mom has reflected few key points which were the important factors for the success of African mom, doing the home based business.

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• The successful business ran by African moms were mostly interest or hobby based.
• Exploring new ideas and possibilities by asking questions which will help business to grow.
• Proper analysis was done. The calculated findings were implemented.
• The use of social media. 
• The enterprise moms did not hesitated from the fear of what other will think.

There is no shortcut to success. Self-belief and go getting attitude is key to attain the desired goal. Hurd's book contains example such African moms who dared achieve and think out of the box. However, the latest trend shows the courage and determination of the moms who has defined in a new way. These womens have not only proved their worthiness as mother also successful entrepreneur.

What are your thoughts on this? Will it encourage African learners to stay in school? Share your opinions with us by commenting here.

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Top 5 Tips To Prepare For Your First Job ?

Summer is already here and this means that several fresh graduates are either about to start or have already started looking for their first job. Your first job will surely prove to be an excellent learning experience. Hence, you must ensure that you land the best possible job in your desired field. But are you ready for a job? Completing your graduation and being job-ready are entirely different things as employers look for candidates who can add value to their company.

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Is a degree enough to be job-ready?

According to a latest Forbes article, around 88 per cent of employers seek for cultural fit in an applicant when hiring, instead of any specific skills. Companies now prefer talented individuals who exude professionalism. So whether you have gained expertise in specific areas of the organisation's systems would take a back seat when it comes to getting recruited. Companies are now more focused on whether you are excited about joining the company, instead of where you have earned your degree from. Unfortunately for new graduates, such skills are mainly acquired through real world experiences like an internship, a part-time job, campus activities and even volunteer work.

However, you do not need to worry excessively as we are here to help you. If you wish to boost your employability and land a great first job, then follow these helpful tips:

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1.Be Organised

One of the best tips you can get about your first job is not be late on your first day at work. Hence, it is important that you make sure you have a good idea about the location so that you may reach at the right time. You must also pack your bag with a notebook, pen, hygiene products, bottle of water and even breath mints.

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2.Have the Right Wardrobe

Let's face it, when you are leaving college it is most likely you will not have too many clothes that will be appropriate for your new workplace. If you do not want to find yourself at a loss on the first few days, then you need to update your wardrobe beforehand. First you need to find out about the dress code followed in your new office and then start shopping. It is best to start with just the basics.

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3.Create an excellent First Impression

You might be surprised to know that you may have already created a first impression even before you go to work on your first day. How? One word: Social Media! Make sure you clean up your Facebook, Twitter and other social networking profiles as soon as you can. You must also ensure you are punctual and adhere to the office culture.

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4.Connect with your Colleagues

It is advisable that you communicate, interact and connect with the people at your new workplace. When you create a strong connection with your co-workers, you will be more excited about going to office and enjoy your work as well. Go out for lunch, meet up after work, participate in office sports team etc.

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5.Enjoy your job

It is imperative that you have a great time at your first job and learn new skills. It is obvious that you will not know everything about the business. Hence, you must ask as many question as needed to your supervisor and colleagues to get a better understanding.

So there you have it! By following these useful tips you will be in a better position to make the most out of your first job after college and gain relevant work experience.

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To know more about career guidance click here.

Want to add to the list? Share your own ideas and experiences with us by commenting below.

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Open University Strives To Improve Distance Learning In Libya

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Education has been one of the primary issues for African countries as the education sector are suffering due to lack of adequate infrastructure, insufficient accessibility, limited budgets and overall poverty. However, with the arrival of the digital era, education is experiencing a transformation which is impressively altering the way we learn and teach.

Is Online Learning the Solution? 

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As the cost of higher education is rising, millions of aspiring learners worldwide are now going for online learning opportunities as it allows them to pursue quality education and earn an accredited degree in an easy and affordable way. The scenario is same for Africa as well. You can now find many students across Africa who are studying their preferred degrees online, while they are working and gaining experience. With the help of EdTech tools ‏@edutopia , the internet and mobile devices, online education has effectively revolutionised the learning environment.

With the growing demand for online undergraduate diploma courses among learners and employers, most African universities have now started to offer their programmes online in order to reach more students, even in the remote locations. Last year, the Libyan Open University, along with Open University UK signed a Memorandum of Strategic Intent in order to boost opportunities and access for university-level education via online and distance learning across Libya.

Making Online Study Accessible

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The Open University Libya has received funding from the Libyan Government for expanding the curriculum provision and extending the delivery of content and instruction via online learning. Apart from the UK Open University, the British Council in Libya has also extended their support for achieving this goal.

The Memorandum of Strategic Intent was signed during a special ceremony conducted at Open University's Walton Hall campus. The event was attended by Professor Musa Mihsein, PVC Academic, Dr. Jamal Elfurdag, who is the Director General for Libyan Universities and Head of Board of the Open University Development Group and the Vice Chancellor’s representative. The was to mainly discovering a large-scale & long-term collaboration to improve distance education courses in Libya.

Professor Musa Mihsein commented, “At the OU we are very proud of our track-record in making higher education available to anyone who wishes to access it. We are therefore pleased that the Libyan OU has identified the OU as a strategic partner in this and we look forward to a long working relationship with them.”

Dr. Jamal Elfurdag added, “Opening up access to education to the people of Libya has never been more important. Distance and online learning has a key role to play in this, which is why we are drawing on the vast depth of knowledge the OU has built up in this area over the last 45 years. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”

Build your Future

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Apart from this many other universities, colleges and institutes in Libya and other African countries are currently taking significant efforts to boost their distance learning offering so that more and more students can access online learning opportunities.

If you are planning to earn an undergraduate diploma, then online distance learning can provide you affordable and open access to flexible university level education. You can easily acquire the necessary knowledge and skills that will empower you to build a lucrative career in future. Moreover, you will also be able to pursue further education and earn a masters degree or PhD from either a traditional college, or better yet study online, and give your career the required boost.

What do you think about distance learning opportunities in Africa? Can it help learners? Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us by commenting below.

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Are Executive Students really keen for Online Education?

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According to an “executive open program” survey, the results reflected a mixed reaction from the students , regarding the future of online education. No doubt digital learning has come a long way , since its existence, but the complete course going online is not quite acceptable for many.

The main aim of online learning is giving everyone an access to the world-class education. According to the survey, 1/5 of the management students believes that having 25 to 50% of the course delivered virtually was acceptable, and 15% should be a classroom interactive ones. But with the upgradation of technology, webinar and interactive one-to-one sections with the faculty members is not a big issue.

    The Benefitters:  

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Around 80% of the full time job pursuers believe that online education has been a boon for them as it allows flexibility of study time, study material and also cost effective. And the most important criteria to mention is , it educates them.

MOOC s :

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Massive Open Online Courses , which aim at unlimited access of open knowledges via web, have been a serious threat to the regular college courses. But due to some lack of networking opportunities only a handful of participants had heard of MOOCs and just 11% has utilised it.

Other Benefitters:

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Online education has encouraged learning for the college dropouts , who had to engage in full time work process to supoort family. It has also encouraged the zeal of higher education among the defense personals and also old age and veterans.

Career Growth:

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The growing demand of onjob skills and the better management of any business has encashed the idea of online learning to a certain extent. Now-a-days management degree has become a must to rise in your career graph. The current trend shows there has been a sharp increase in the enrollment for an online MBA degree or various other management diploma courses available online by the employees of the organisation.. This courses provide full guidance in terms of study materials and improve the skill sets of the en rollers. Besides it provides flexibility of study time.

The verdict:

Though there are various educational as well as vocational courses like.. cabin crew management, chief degree , nursing degree..that requires pratical training and inhand experience is to earn a degree. In those fields online learning courses can never compete. But still online earning has earned a generous popularity in terms of those education which can be sucessfully completed via web process.

Feel free to share your views with us.

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How Volkswagen Is Encouraging Education In South Africa?

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Recently, Volkswagen donated more than 600 bicycles to the students of over 11 rural schools across the Nkonkobe district in Eastern Cape. This initiative was a Volkswagen and its partners World Vision Switzerland, World Vision South Africa and Qhubeka.

 

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The BEEP Initiative

This donation has increased the number of bicycles sponsored by Volkswagen to 1100 that were offered to rural schools in the region in the last 2 months. In April, over 500 bicycles were handed over to 9 rural schools in Umzimkhulu,KwaZulu-Natal. According to recent reports, it was found that almost 11 million kids of the approximate 17 million school children across South Africa, walk to their schools every day. Around 500,000 of these children walk more than 6 km or an hour to school. The huge walking distance which the learners need to commute every day is believed to be one of the prime reasons from rising rate of school dropouts in rural areas, specifically fro girl students.

The BEEP (Bicycle Education EmpowermentProgramme) was originally started by World Bicycle Relief in Zambia in 2009. The programme established that bicycles are an affordable, reliable and safe transportation mode for the students. BEEP was introduced in South Africa in 2013 by Qhubeka in association with World Vision South Africa. Since then, more than 8100 bicycles have already been donated across 5 provinces.

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Encouraging Education 

Thomas Schaefer, Managing Director ofVolkswagen Group South Africa, said “Education is one of our key pillars in our quest to be a company with meaning and impact through our Corporate Social Investment initiatives under the banner of Volkswagen for Good. As the maker of people’s car, we are passionate about South Africa. This drives us to working towards making a sustainable difference in the fight against poverty and community upliftment.”

He further added “Through our partnership with Qhubeka and World Vision South Africa, we seek to make a small difference but with big impact on the lives of young boys and girls in the most rural parts of our country. We are very hopeful that these bicycles will change the learners’ approach to their schooling and encourage them to work harder to be the best that they want to be.”

Similar sentiments were shared by Qhubeka as both establishments are primarily focused on helping African students access learning opportunities in an easier and better way. Sarah Phaweni, executive director at Qhubeka, said “Qhubeka is delighted to be partnering with Volkswagen to provide access to education through bicycles to children in South Africa. Thanks to Volkswagen’s generous donation distance no longer needs to be a barrier to education for 1100 school children in Nkonkobe and Umzimkhulu. Research shows that education is an essential element in the fight to end the cycle of poverty in developing countries.” She added “With BEEP, we can make an immediate difference to school attendance as well as improve children’s well-being with reliable and affordable transportation.”

 

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Expanding Education's Reach

Each of the students are awarded a bicycle along with a helmet, combination lock, spanner, and pump. The students, as well as their parents, need to sign a contract which explains the rules and regulations for using the cycles. The bicycle will considered as the personal property of the students after the stipulated 2 years.

Paula Barnard, national director of World Vision South Africa, said “With BEEP 2015 well underway we’re undoubtedly meeting what we set out to achieve, reaching the most rural of communities to enable these children to attend school on time and so improve their overall educational outcomes.”

What are your thoughts on this? Will it encourage African learners to stay in school? Share your opinions with us by commenting here.

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How to Nail your Interview Questions ?

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Have an interview coming up? Wouldn't it be great if you knew exactly what the HR or the hiring manager of a firm would be asking you in your upcoming interview? Job seekers should expect less customary interview questions. Knowing how to put together a reliable, straight-forward answer to the most common interview questions is the ultimate key in landing with a job you really desire. Interviews can be stressful, especially if it is for a job you really want to take up.

'Practice makes it perfect' is absolutely true when it comes to going for job interviews even though there is no fixed format that every job interviews will follow. The best thing to do is to think, prepare and revise through the questions you are likely to be asked in the interviews as many times as you can and construct the answers ahead of time but never try to memorize them. First impressions are last impressions. Cracking a job interview can help to snag you the job of your dreams.

Here are a few common interview questions that are generally asked and the correct answers to it:

1.Tell me about yourself- This is the most common 

question asked in the interviews. It is should last for not more than three minutes, where you just have to give a brief about yourself about who you are that includes- your academic qualifications, achievements, job positions, your previous experiences (if you have any) and how you can contribute to the company with your background and experiences. Do not give your personal history.

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2. Why did you leave your last job?- If you have left your previous for some negative situations, never say something bad about the supervisors, co-workers or about the firm where you had worked. Whatever reason it may be, always stay calm and positive. You can focus on the fact that you are looking for better opportunities and growth.

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3. Where do you want to see yourself in the next 5 or 10 years?- Be truthful and stick to one or two professional examples to show your career track.

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4. Are you applying for other jobs as well?- Be honest but do not spend much time on this matter. Reply with a simple yes and adding to it say this particular job is your first preference.

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5. What do you know about this organization?- This is often asked in interviews. Before going for any jobs inteviews, go through the company's website. Do some research about the company, like- its goals, careers, currents events, their clients as well as products and services.

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6. What is your expected salary?- Job seekers are been frequently asked this question but fail to give an appropiate answer. It would be better to avoid this question unless if you have been offered the job. You can say something for instance- Can you tell me the range for this position? Or say that it can depend on the details of the job. Try to negotiate for yourself.

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7. What are your strengths? - Choose your strengths that are most related to the particular position which you have applied for. Pick up the strengths that matches with the company's culture and goals and be specific to what you say. It should tie to the needs of your job.

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8.Do you have any questions?- This reveals a lot about your personality. Do not ask too many questions. This is an important part of the interview. Focus more on what you can do for the organization and not what the organization can do for you.

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9.Why hire you?- Even if any of your relatives o friends is working in that particular firm, never not say that since it gives a negative vibe. Just mention your resources meet what the firm needs.

Always remember to be what you are at your interview and deliver your best. Never fake out , because sooner or later it would be noticed and have a negative impact on your job.

Besides all these you need an impressing CV which would give a first good impression on your interviewer. Check out few CV tips.

Have You Graduated? Are You Struggling To Find A Job? http://t.co/ZdyvUJ4nP5

— OnlineBusinessSchool (@OBSLearnOnline) February 13, 2015

If you have any more suggestions. Please feel free to share with us.


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African Youth Enpowerment through Professional Training: An Initiative taken at ICT Conference

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The capital city of Sub-Saharan Africa, Johannesburg has set a target in transforming itself to a world dictator of information and communications technology (ICT) sector making it the leading smart city in Africa as well as has also inaugarated a programme known as COJEDI to educate all digital interns in contemporary age skills by providing a 4 months training course to thousands of the city's brightest, young IT professionals with the help of the buisness parternships of Cisco, Microsoft, FiberCo, Innovation Africa Foundation and Technology Innovation Agency.

During the inaguaration of the COJEDI programme, the Mayor of the city of Johannesburg, Parks said in a comment: “This programme will go a long way in improving IT skills and expertise in Johannesburg. “ The main focus of the programme is to implement new ideas and entrepreneurship and also to help the students in taking preparations for employment purposes and and empowering them to take part in the mainstream of the ICT economy. The budget of the programme is around 7 million.

The project consultant for the ICT Support Programme, Doughlas Cohen says that the projects should be instrumental in nature and even sustainable. He further states: "The purpose of the Joburg ICT Sector Support Programme is to strengthen competitiveness of the sector and to increase investment into the sector within Johannesburg."

The main areas which are focused are-

• Development of ICT expertises
• ICT research and ICT development
• Promotion of both trade and investment in the local ICT sector
• Supply of ICT infrastructure and ICT appraisal
• Capital-intensive.

Johennesburg's investment is very crucial not only in financial outlay, but also that it is feasible to change the lives of the people and the interns in the city.

ICT being remembered as a National Development Plan Critical Enabler, it becomes significant for both expertise transfer as well as training to happen. The COJEDI programme is on track assisting in entrepreneurship, employment of the youth and latest technological developments with the help of strong broadband connectivities to South Africa’s ICT sector.

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