Workplace Innovation, University of Witwatersrand collaborate to boost digital education in Nigeria
The Workplace Innovation &Training Solutions has partnered with the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg to provide a range of digital courses for Nigerians on personal and professional development.
The digital programme which is targeted at improving the educational quality in the country will be run by Wits Enterprise – a wholly-owned subsidiary company of WITS.
The announcement was made during a recent webinar themed ‘Thriving in the Post-COVID-19 Unified Learning Economy in Nigeria.’
According to Oladipupo Clement, chief executive officer of Workplace Innovation &Training Solutions Nigeria the training is aimed at providing top-notch globally standardized and cost-effective qualifications.
Clement made a case for acknowledging the phenomenal opportunities in the 21st-century workplace skills the COVID-19 disruption has created.
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He argued for the exponential shift that the use of technology affords Nigerians for learning and the possibility this present to ignite and sustain innovation for the future of learning and work for Nigeria.
“This partnership offers more for Nigerians who seek opportunities for personal and professional development and more details can be seen on www.WITSng.com,” he said.
In a panel section which includes Professor Lisa Short, founder, Mind Shifting & Areté Business Performance, Australia; Gavin Olivier, managing executive &senior partner of the Wits Digital Campus, and Timothy Hutton, director -executive education, Wits Business School, believed that Nigeria can leverage its population to grow its economy.
“Nigeria has predominantly a youthful population and Nigeria’s future is now. It is neither about post-COVID-19 nor pre the pandemic, it’s about now. People must be motivated to see the importance of thinking of sustainable human resources strategy to grow the Nigerian economy,” they said.
Through the Wits Digital Campus, the University provides a robust digital learning infrastructure to deploy academic and short courses in a digital learning environment. This leverages on how Africa, including Nigeria, can harness the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) for her benefit to empower a new generation of skilled workforce.
Aligning with the other panelists, Hutton of the Wits Business School emphasised the need for the partnership.
“This partnership is in line with the African Union’s ‘Agenda 2063: Africa We Want’ and acknowledged the place of Nigeria on the continent, in achieving this agenda,” he said.
“It aims to develop customized executive education programmes specifically for Nigeria’s markets and workplace using technology and digital education,” he further said.
“It is also a pathway to world-class executive business education with the current offering of the Management Advancement Programme (MAP) of the Wits Business School,” he added.