NYSC DIGITAL ONBOARDERS CDS AND  MENTORING PROGRAMME

NYSC MINDTHEGAP LAUNCHES DIGITAL ONBOARDERS CDS AND  MENTORING PROGRAMME

Nigeria needs an estimated 10 Million (decent and well paying) Digital Onboarder Jobs (DOJ) in the next 10 years to drive the achievement of the Digital Economy Masterplan.  The DOJ will use digital skills and tools to innovate, digitize and amplify solutions to pressing Socioeconomic needs of their Employers and Customers thereby raising a new COHORT of Active Economic Agents.

On the 30th of August 2016, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, launched the Google Digital SkillsTraining with the mandate to “enable Nigerian Youths, Businesses and Communities for the Digital Economy”. 

To fulfil the above mandate, MindTheGap, in the last four years, has been collaborating with the NYSC to engage Corps Members during the Orientation training session to inform, inspire and involve the CM in the Digital Economy through their Places of Primary Assignments (PPA), Community Development Service (CDS) and SAED. 

The feedback after the camp engagements has been amazing. Corps Members got informed about the reality of the Digital Economy, got inspired (many identified how they can leverage digital skills to jumpstart their career) and got involved immediately by signing up to the FREE online course where they have been acquiring relevant certifications.

However, only a few of them have taken the acquired digital skills to develop innovative solutions to problems in their host communities, create jobs and mainstreamed their career into the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) after camp.

WHAT?

To accelerate the achievement of the above mandate and in view of the constant request by Corps Members to join MindtheGap as a Community Development Service (CDS), we have seen the need to constructively engage the Corps Members beyond camp and write to request for the setting up of a Digital Onboarders CDS & Mentoring Programme. 

In line with the NYSC mandate, CDS provides a great opportunity for Corps Members to integrate with their Host Communities, identify a pressing problem and organise themselves to solve the problem. This will benefit not just the Host community, it will also benefit the Corps Members, NYSC as an institution and the nation at large. 

The mandate of the Digital Onboarders Community Development Service Group will be to, “enable Nigerian Youth, Businesses and Communities for the Digital Economy”. Their objectives would include, but are not limited to, adopting a geographical community where they will assist;

1. every youth to understand, embrace and begin to enjoy the huge benefits of “Making The Most of the Web” and also teach them to protect themselves online.
2. Small and Growing Businesses to understand the realities of the digital economy, support them to gradually adopt the use of technology to grow their business, thereby creating more Jobs.
3. their Host Community to gradually adopt the use of digital technology to mobilize, organize and promote the development of the community.

WHY A CDS GROUP?

As one of the cardinal mandates of the NYSC, CDS remains, arguably, the best platform to develop, deploy, and deepen the unique qualities of the Nigerian Youth into their communities and national economic opportunities hence;

• The size, structure and spread of the National Youth Service Corps as a strategic platform for inclusive, accelerated, and high-impact community and national development programme will be optimized.
• Corps members, as amazing assets to communities that know how to engage them in a mutually-beneficial way, will use the platform(s) for Immersive Learning & Enterprise Incubation, which is the best form of Education, as stated in the World Bank 2018 Development Report.
• Over the years, discerning Corps Members have also found their involvement in community development service as a unique platform to deploy and develop marketable experiences that will make their curriculum vitae an evidence-based CV. 

If properly managed, we at MindTheGap strongly believe the CDS group will be a viable tool to bridge the Mindset, Skillset and Toolset of the Corps Members making them  “Active Economic Agents” during and post-NYSC, thereby drastically increasing the ratio of post-NYSC graduate employability.

HOW

Across Africa today, from the largest cities to the most remote villages, digital technology is making an impact on people’s everyday lives, and has the power to transform communities and even whole economies – Tony Elumelu C.O.N, Chairman of Heirs Holdings.

If Nigeria must feed her 180 Million (and growing) population; provide quality Education & Immersive Learning to build her productive demography, provide access to preventive and affordable health care, and achieve all the other Human Capital Development Indices, Nigeria needs to adopt technology wholesale – Bunmi Banjo (Youthnomics Quote)

Just like the NYSC as a scheme is doing; adopting technology will help every enterprise to achieve their five core goals:

1. Develop Innovative Products and Services
2. Bring Efficiency and Process Optimization to reduce cost
3. Reach their Target Market and serve their customers better
4. Generate Profit or achieve High Impact in the case of Public & Social Sector
5. Expansion, Growth and Sustainability of the Enterprise

If we, as a matter of urgency, can hand-hold a minimum of 1 Million Youths to identify and pursue one of the above as their career goals in the next five years, Nigeria will experience a massive socio-economic turn around with increased productivity.

ACTIVITIES OF THE CDS

• Monthly meeting & Masterclass Training for Strategic Skills Development
• Team of 5-10 Corps Members adopt a small community where they intend to Train & Hand-hold 50-100 Youths monthly and put 10 Businesses on Google My Business.
• CDS Group digitizes one Community per month
• Inter-state “Digitize My Community” Quarterly Competition 
• Members will also have the opportunity of participating in Google Digital Skills Training(s), and other relevant Google Events, both locally and Internationally.

SUPPORT

MindTheGap will facilitate;

• Provision of NYSC & Partner branded T-shirts for members of the CDS Group 
• Monthly training and mentoring for members of the CDS Group
• Raising of funds for the monthly projects & activities of each state CDS Group
• Mobilization and Recruitment of new members during orientation camps
• Effective Community Engagement 
• Facilitate Post-NYSC Job Placement and Business Support for Certified CDS Group members through our Talentpool and HeadsUp Enterprise Development Agency

SCOPE:

In order to standardize the CDS Group, we will be starting one group in a chosen state in each of the 6 geo-political zones and based on lessons learnt / expected outcomes, we will deploy to other states by 2020.

SCHEDULE OFFICER(S) TRAINING:

To kickstart the project, the relevant staff of the NYSC will be trained and worked with to understand the project so that they can have ownership with the support  of MindTheGap.

We look forward to your review, approvals, and implementation of Digital Onboarders so it can begin to deliver its given mandate and inherent values to the Nigerian Youth.

• Post Category: Technology