Equalising employers and fresh-graduates chasm...

The core of our initiative is to bridge the gap between academia and industry's skilled labour requirements, by providing practical tutoring that addresses identified challenges facing fresh graduates’ preparedness and readiness for the labour market. We provide the needed support and guidance in developing our trainees’ employability skills, workplace awareness and progressive career growth planning. Greysmith’s training programmes are designed for fresh graduates from tertiary academic institutions; graduating with bachelor’s degrees, HND and other academic diplomas. Greysmith institutions develop and deliver industry relevant training courses, to equip our students with the required skill set to perform optimally right at entry level employment. As a not-for-profit organisation, our institution offers non-fee-paying training programmes, fee-paying programmes, sponsored training programmes and scholarship opportunities.

Greysmith Foundation sets up training programmes that are hands-on, offering career pathway development courses that provide skills and competence training in a practical manner. We engage our students in real life simulations and case studies relating to day-to-day industry happenings. Our training approach does not promise our students academic laurels as it is designed to instill workplace disciplines; practical capabilities and work aptitude that hold move value than paper certificates. We expend our time resources and facilities to add quantitative and qualitative value to our students’ work output in their future places of employment.

• Greysmith Career Development Institute:

Offering workshops and short courses in pre-employment coaching, personal brand development, career pathway planning, workplace awareness, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and improving professional communication skills, mentorship and professional apprenticeship, networking & spectatorship development.

• Greysmith Technology R&D Centre:

Offers hands-on training in technology research, electric and electronic engineering, knowledge gathering and development in software engineering, code scripting, cybernetics/automations, data sciences, systems simulations design, cyber-entrepreneurship, fundamentals of robotic engineering and artificial intelligence.

• Greysmith VComm Institute.

Visual communication is the beauty of our world, we offer fascinating opportunity to talented creative graduates to train in course including fine arts & illustrations, creativity skill development, media design and production, 2D/3D & Virtual Graphic Design and Modelling, Motion Graphics, Photography, Brand Element planning and development, Narrow-Casting.

• Greysmith Advanced Teacher Skills College.

Technology is influencing teaching and learning on a super-fast track, and so must teachers be up and running. School pupils get access to information ahead of teachers’ information at hand. GATSC brings teachers up scratch with today’s “teacher-students” engagement techniques. Course include; Teaching Innovations, Teaching Technology, Taming class attention, Class feedback analysis.

• Greysmith Management Training Institute

Our management training programmes are designed to augment practicing professionals' skills and competences, for performance and career growth. We offer on-campus and in-house (at client’s end) simulation training; courses include, performance inducement, risk identification and management, efficient supervision, SOP development and internal process quality management, efficient resource management, master classes,  etc., etc.

Certification

Greysmith institutions deliver world-class practical workshops, short courses and full time training programmes leading to the award of:

 Certificate Programmes

• CoC-P: - Certificate of Competence –Participation; 5-10days workshops.
• CoC-Kn: - Certificate of Competence – Knowledge; 1 month short course
• CoC-Expn: - Certificate of Competence – Experience; 3 months intensive short course

Diploma Programmes

• DoC-B: - Basic Diploma of Competence; - 6 months courses
• DoC-A: - Advanced Diploma of Competence; - 12 months courses
• DoC-Expt: - Expert Diploma of Competence; - 18 months courses

Our training approach does not promise our students academic laurels; it is designed to instill workplace disciplines, practical capabilities and work aptitude in our students than the value of the certificate awarded. We expend our time resources and facilities’ advantages to add value to our students’ work output in their employments.

Demonstrate your commitment to potential employers...

Background

The Career Volunteer Network (CVN) is a social network that helps new graduates (unskilled labour) acquires workplace skills and experiences that would eventually lead to gaining full time employment. CVN is a network for new graduates and employment seekers in general to network with industries/employers eventually leading to gainful employment.

The network provides a forum for potential employers to engage the services of prospective employees on a voluntary basis with mutual benefits for both parties. Industry/employers benefit from getting basic tasks executed at little to no cost, while a career volunteer also benefits from building their work experience repertoire CVN is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project for Greysmith Foundation. Membership is automatic for all Greysmith students and training participants.

The Approach

CVN lobbies and fosters a strong working relationship with industry/employers, by getting potential employers subscribing to CVN programmes and online portals. Organisations may regularly post voluntary positions on the portal. The portal is accessible to CVN members. CVN offers both in-person and online membership.

 Membership Categories

1. CPP: Career Pathway planning; these are recent graduates who have completed national service.
2. CPE: Career Progression Exploration;
   • these are graduates with a minimum of 24 months working history.
   • these individuals who are current employed, and are considering a career change.
3. CDMT: Career Development & Management Training: These members possess a second degree/professional certification seeking growth on the management ladder. The applicant must have a minimum of 3 years’ worth of employment history.

CVN Objectives

Having identified employment related challenges, CVN operations sets out to achieve the following goals;

1. Create a forum that brings potential employers and prospective employees together for a collaborative solution to unemployment.
2. Support and guide the youth to develop well-defined career plans that guides their short, mid and long-term career decisions.
3. Instill the spirit of voluntarism into the youth of today, which is necessary for social skills development and communal coherence.

Volunteer Engagements

A potential employer (CVN participating industry/employer) requiring the services of a career volunteer, reviews career member profiles and selects those that best suit requirements for available tasks. Employers are expected to select up to five (5) profiles per vacancy. Selected applicants are subjected to standard HR hiring procedures. The best candidate is awarded a contract for a minimum of six (6) months.

Membership Requirements and Conditions

CVN applicants must be must be at least 21 years of age on the date of application. It is mandatory for all CVN new members to go through at least 5-days of career orientation and personality traits assessment sessions; this will produce an evaluation report on the member for the review of potential employers. Skills and Self Assessment Reports increase one’s chances of gaining employment. CVN is a fee paying membership organisation. Applicants are expected to review our terms and conditions before submitting application forms.

Volunteering Allowances and Wages

While engagements are on a voluntary basis, engaging/hiring companies are advised to make provision for minimal allowances to facilitate a volunteer’s commuting and feeding expenses to keep them motivated. CVN policy stipulates a minimum wage/allowance to which every volunteer is entitled. Allowances are based on academic qualifications and employment history;

1. Basic Level: fresh graduates with a bachelors’ degree/HND who have recently completed National Service.
2. Intermediate Level; graduates who have had between two to three years employment history.
3. Upper Level: Second degree graduates without any previous employment history.
4. Premium Level: second degree graduates with some previous employment history.

This is an on-campus career preparation program, under the aegis of the Greysmith Foundation a not-for-profit practical career pathway development organisation. CVN Campus Chapters offer career training programs tailored to equip tertiary students with practical workforce skills, essential for a seamless transition from a school environment to the workplace.

CVN Campus Chapters offer a variety of programs per semester:

1. Workshops
2. 1O1 advising sessions
3. Career Conferences

Workshops

These day-long training sessions held on university campuses bring students in contact with industry experts. The sessions are interactive and practical, dealing with topics relating to job search and career skills:

• Exploring career options
• Building a fulfilling career
• Developing effective job search and career skills
• Improving résumés and cover letters
• Developing interview and networking skills
• Succeeding at the workplace

1O1 (Individual) advising sessions

Individual sessions have to be requested at least a week prior to the meeting. Participants who cancel an appointment within less than 24 hours' notice would incur a fine.

Sessions include the following:

• Review of résumé and cover letter
• Preparation for job interviews
• Tips on networking and the hidden job market

Pre-requisites:

• Eligibility for an individual advising session at a CVN Campus Chapter is based on attendance at a campus workshop.

1O1 Session Checklist:

• Participants should prepare a list of questions to discuss with the advisor.
• Participants should print out copies of résumé and cover letter
• Participants should bring along, a copy of the job posting, where applicable.

Campus Career Conference

The campus career conferences are open to all CVN members and are a forum where members can glean valuable practical career information from industry experts.