Femi Iromini Is Enhancing Students Employability In Nigeria
Femi Iromini is enhancing students' employability in Nigeria
Femi Iromini has been a part of the African technology ecosystem for five years. He ran numerous businesses as a young student—at one point, he performed due diligence for foreign investors interested in investing in African startups. He is now concentrating his efforts on enhancing Nigeria's educational system and increasing the employability of Nigerian graduates.
To comprehend how he arrived here, let us examine his life journey.
Iromini developed an interest in medicine at a young age after reading Ben Carson's Gifted Hands. His secondary school teachers encouraged him to pursue this interest as well. He was the top student in chemistry, physics, and math, and they all assumed he would do well in medical school.
He gained admission to the university and began studying medicine for several months before being expelled by his father.
“He simply stated that he did not believe the school was intended for me,” Iromini explained.
Fortunately, Iromini was admitted to university at a young age, making an involuntary gap year unnecessary.
Changing to geophysics
Iromini's transition to geophysics is a story to which many can relate. It involves a wealthy uncle and a desire to attain the same level of wealth as said uncle.
This uncle paid him a visit one day while he was at home. While they were playing chess, Iromini inquired as to his occupation. He worked for ExxonMobil and studied geophysics.
“When my uncle mentioned geophysics,” Iromini recalled, "I thought to myself, 'This must be God speaking to me.'"
With the prospect of a career in geophysics looking promising, he chose to study it.
After a year of studying geophysics at Obafemi Awolowo University, he began to doubt his decision.
That question was answered during a field trip to Ekiti. Students and lecturer went on a field trip to identify various rocks and minerals.
“During this field trip, the delegates were led by a professor who carried a boulder. I could tell he was enthused about it. He then stated that in order to succeed as a geologist, one must fall in love with rocks. You're going to need to romance rocks.”
“I was standing in the back, observing and listening. That did not appeal to me. I rationalized that there are more romantic things in life than rocks.”
None of his lecturers in high school were particularly enthusiastic about rocks, and they were unable to provide definitive answers to field questions. By the end of the trip, he was certain he would not pursue a career in geophysics.
That trip served as a watershed moment for him, inspiring him to participate in a variety of non-academic events. He was accepted into several social impact and entrepreneurial programs, including One Young World, the Goldman Sachs Program, the World Business Dialogue, and the Global University Initiative. These programs broadened his horizons and exposed him to an infinite number of possibilities.
Making a positive contribution to society through business
His life took a turn during one of these programs when Nelson Mandela challenged him and other participants to focus on changing Africa by finding ways to contribute.
He completed the program and established businesses while still in school. On three campuses, he opened a laundry business and restaurants. Additionally, he founded a social enterprise that assisted students in obtaining internships.
Other students aided him in developing these businesses. He had no knowledge of finance at the time. He simply sent a letter to his peers soliciting contributions, and they responded. He purchased his first washing machine with a contribution of 20,000 dollars ($125 at the time) from another student.
Despite the initial support he was fortunate to receive, he quickly discovered that obtaining additional financial support to build his businesses was difficult. Because the business lacked a track record, traditional funding channels were not an option.
He came across Kickstarter – a crowdsourcing platform – during this phase. At the time, it was a novel concept that opened his mind to the possibility of individuals raising funds through the use of their social capital. Because his businesses flourished as a result of others' belief and support, he desired to create a similar platform for others in his network to raise funds.
He collaborated on this platform with some Indian engineers he met years ago at a program he attended. The platform took longer to build than anticipated, and he spent more money than he anticipated.
To accelerate development, he picked up some coding and joined the team building the platform.
In 2014, shortly after graduating from college and continuing to run the Crowdy platform, he was approached by AXA Venture Partners, who required assistance with deal analysis and sourcing for African startups.
“They wanted to invest in Africa but were uncertain about the numbers. We were able to aggregate startups, particularly in East Africa, for them using Crowdy. We operated more in the manner of deal aggregators.”
Educating students in order to prepare them for employment
In 2013, while still running Crowder, he enrolled at Stanford University in a postgraduate program in innovation and entrepreneurship. He spent a lot of time during the program on the Stanford campus and at neighboring universities. He noted the absence of a common denominator at home. Each university had a career center. The schools made a deliberate effort to prepare students for the world of work.
When he compared this approach to his undergraduate days, when there was no structure in place to prepare students for employment, he decided to take action.
“Universities should consider the career outcomes of their students. How many graduates are employed, unemployed, or pursuing additional educations? Career outcomes are a differentiating factor for universities,” Iromini explained.
As a result, Lead 360, an education technology company, was founded. The company has collaborated with a variety of public and private institutions, including Covenant University and Afe Babalola.
Lead 360 discovered through their few engagements with these universities that it takes more than just establishing a career center in these schools. Increasing students' employability requires a systematic approach.
“What we typically find is that in the final year of many of these schools, a one-week seminar on employability is organized. You're supposed to have a career advisor whose performance is measured by students' successful employment. Someone who assists with internships, reviews CVs, and evaluates students' interests,” Iromini explained.
Rather than directly engaging with governments and universities, Lead 360 has shifted its model to rely on institutions such as the World Bank and the International Labour Organization to initiate contact with governments and universities. It has been demonstrated to be more effective.
They've collaborated successfully with state governments and corporate organizations to establish over 40 digital centers, including one in Makoko, Yaba, Lagos.
Lead 360 is currently engaged in a number of projects. A labor market information system is at the top of the list. A system that provides real-time information to the government and universities about the skillsets employers seek and the number of students who possess these skillsets. International agencies are funding this project.
Additionally, it provides career services, a learning management system, a transcript management system, and an education financing product for students.
As someone who has always sought to solve problems in his environment, Iromini is confronting Nigeria's education system squarely.
By 2050, Africa will have a large population, with Nigeria leading the way. He is constantly asking himself, "what are we going to do with this population?"
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