- Strohle, Econext boss, explains the economic and academic implications for Nigeria, of the phenomenal growth taking place globally in e-learning
By Simeon Mpamugoh
AS part of its efforts to bring Nigerians at par with vast opportunities online on skill development and certification for global relevance, Legacy International, in partnership with Econext, an e-learning platform based in Germany and Switzerland, recently organized a public forum on e-learning prospects for generation next.
Fabian Strohle, who is in charge of business development international, Econext, told participants at the event which took place at the Marina Hall, Raddison Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, that e-learning is a journey into the future noting that the next five to ten years would define how the internet and smart phone revolution can benefit every single person anywhere in the world.
“We are not the only people that know this; believe it or not, there are more big global corporate entities, discussing the future because the flexibility a company brings, in today’s environment is key to success,” he said. “This means that the work in the future is also going to be flexible and can be done from anywhere with all the skills that can create and add value for the company,” he declared.
He revealed that the number of companies that could make that happen is growing very fast and Nigerians cannot afford to be left out adding that e-leaning is becoming something more fascinating globally, pointing out that Econext is a thought about work as the company originally has been primed in the field of education.
“One thing that we realize after some time is; there is power in the devices in the hand of the user no matter where he is but the major things that would influence how good one will be on one’s job are: skills, passion and drive,” he warned. “Passion and drive are what everyone can influence by himself. Specific skills you can learn and access to work are revolutionizing the Internet by using smart phones and electronic devices to maximize the benefit.”
The Econext boss explained further that, “if you can find the job but don’t have the skill, it is of no use and if you can get the skills but don’t know about the job, it is also of no use but we have built machinery learning based algorithm to help everyone have an equal base to succeed in life.”
Asked whether some of the courses on the e-learning platform are accredited, Strohle replied that, “it depends completely on the provider. Some have e-learning centres in US and over one hundred countries operating since 2000. So, it is a complete variety and we aim to execute that variety so that we don’t narrow the focus and take away the opportunity, which is boundless. On the areas one can get the skills, we have content writing, mobile phone programming, graphics designs. And e-learning has been growing at an average of 900 percent since 2000. The industry alone is a multi-billion US dollars and a multi-trillion Naira industry.”
On how the idea to bring this knowledge home came about, Legacy International helmsman, Godwin Odusami said it came when he met Buhari and Nasir El Rufai in London. “One thing Buhari said at the event that struck me was that Nigerians back home hate those of us in the Diaspora because we have left them behind. That comment has not left me since then such that it has spurred me into determining that the prosperity we see in global community will be brought home to ensure we impact knowledge and improve our skills.”
Computer Programmer/CEO Page paedia, Sowemimo Abiodun Alex, defined e-learning as an electronic technology to access education curriculum outside the traditional classroom adding, that, “Econext has a platform/application for recruiting the younger and older generations to be trained on skills through the use of mobile devices. Many of our university graduates who studied computer science don’t have the practical skills on how to use some mobile app. software. What we leverage on is paper intelligence, which doesn’t have positive thing to add to the development of the country. While a 16-year-old high school student from Ukraine can develop a mobile app software, 95 percent of Nigerian computer or software engineer graduates with Upper Class Hons. cannot develop a mobile phone in age of digital technology and use of mobile and smart phones.”
According to Sowemimo, they are working in partnership with Econext to get to the next level of “working remotely from your house and getting paid and it would generate a lot of revenue for Nigerian economy.” Those who graced the occasion include Lekan Fatodu, publisher, Checkout magazine and Oladunni Owo, Director Dnext Levels and Chief Rasheed Taiwo, an entrepreneur.