usgee:
@Genomi
Sorry for the late reply and thanks for keeping the faith.
The beneficiary of the broadband bonus is just whoever you recommend really. It is a very little contribution and yes it is very possible to increase the number as time goes.
Glad that you have rolled out the plan. Please keep the focus, whatever you can do now will help someone who will appreciate.

jaybee3:
Nice initiative but how would you measure success?
It's always good to empower people with knowledge but it's almost useless when there reallyisn't an enabling environment.
I personally think you could set acheive a better result with the following business model:
1) Set up a vocational training facilities and have applicants enrol on them free of charge
2) Provide soft loans and incentives for people with established small business
3) Provide financial buffers for those struggling to actualise their ideas

Ademat7:
@Genomi since u won't be giving out quack idea,I suggest u look toward NYSC member cos what u intend giving is a modern-skill u knw what I mean that require some level of prior education by d beneficiary,if u want to target less privilege it will have been vocational skill but I understand d cadre u occupy in academic world hence ur choice skill

GenoMI:
Hi @jaybee3, thanks for your contribution. I am definitely not in a position to implement (2) and (3) - that is one of I will leave for the banks

As for (1), my dream is to set us FREE E-Learning centres around the country where young people can walk in, book a slot of 1 or 2 hours and have access to state of the art technology and e-learning facilities that will cover business, professional and vocational skills.

jaybee3:

How would you measure success of the model?

GenoMI:

Oh yes, sorry I forgot to address that question - the honest truth is that measuring the success of the model in terms of direct impact on careers and businesses will not be an easy feat because it will largely boil down to the individual beneficiaries. What I mean by this is that it is left to beneficiaries to put the knowledge they gain into good use - there is no direct way for me to measure this.

GenoMI:

What I can actually measure (for now) is the number of people who have received training through the initiative - I will also keep open lines of communication with beneficiaries and follow their progress as much as I can. In less than one week of the site going live, I have already connected with a few young people asking for my thoughts on their businesses, while others have just applied to get a free course - there is a key difference between these 2 groups of people. I will definitely be keeping up with the people who reach out to me directly and hopefully even play more of a role in helping them achieve their goals. And as things pick up and get bigger, more people will come on board to help out as well as bring their own ideas on board as to how to make things better.

If you have any other ideas you think I should be considering, please feel free to tell me. Thanks a lot for your help, I appreciate it.

jaybee3:

I knew it was never going to be an easy feat hence why I wanted you to re-evaluate your approach in reaching the desired outcome.
Addressing the availability and accessibility of training is very good since there is a visible gap that ought to be closed via initiatives such as yours. My worry is that it wouldn’t necessarily go far enough in reaching your initial goals except you can link the vocational training with the other plans you’re currently designing

Success with these sort of initiatives won’t necessarily be complete without the recipients gainfully employed and being productive.

How about you include career advice and coaching on how to write CV’s as well as interview techniques into your end-to-end process?

You can also focus the training on skills that can bridge employment Gap in Nigeria

Well done though. I like your positive spirit/energy.. We definitely need more people like you to move this nation forward

GenoMI:
Wow! Thanks and thanks again - you have definitely put a lot of thought into this. I would absolutely love to give career advice and help with CV's and interview preparation as well, in fact that was one of the things I mentioned in my initial post on this thread.

What do you think would be the best way to go about this? Giving one-to-one assistance over the net or organising small events where I can meet up with say 10 people at a time? I may also be able to get some experienced friends and colleagues to help out...

I will also start looking for and giving out training that will specifically help people become more employable..as usual, I will provide the house feedback on my progress

jaybee3:

You’re very much welcome

1-2-1 assistance is good but for how long since it will have a knock on effect on time resource
I like the idea of group events as people will be able to share experience and knowledge as well as network at these events. That’s certainly a plus
I personally think you had hit a home run if you can get people (friends/colleagues) to mentor the applicants. I’m happy to sign up for the mentorship IF needed

Onozztins:
@Genomi..I tried leaving my info on the comment box but it wasnt possible

Onelovetayz:
Hi Genomi,
I am a Computer Science graduate and I would like to partner with you in any way you know I can be of help just let me know.
Please, I am not asking for money from you.
tayolumide@gmail.com

GenoMI:
Hi @beabea5, unfortunately I have not even started yet as I plan to do so next Month by God's Grace if everything is in place. But I won't be giving out cash, rather I will be paying for training, seminars, materials etc that can be beneficial towards building a business or career.

GenoMI:
Thanks @pinbar

Hello house, how has everyone been? I'm back again with an update - I'm please to announce that the site is now live at www.skillsonthehouse.com. Also on twitter @SOTHNigeria

Skills On The House as in Free skills (think Drinks on the house, LOL)

The great thing about this is that I put the website up by myself - I used wordpress which I knew absolutely NOTHING about before I started this initiative. So I just went online, searched for a cheap online wordpress course, paid and did the course. It lasted 6 hours and I was able to complete it in about a week. It took that long because of my seriously tight schedule and I was only able to do about an hour a day.

After completing the course, I was actually able to get the site up and running with very little hassle (thanks also to google for helping me find answers whenever I got stuck) - I will be giving out that wordpress course very soon as well. Anyone can pick it up and build a business around designing websites

You can head to the site to drop a comment to enter for a chance to get a free course. I will be giving out 2 courses to 2 people next week:

1) Online Digital & Social Media Marketing Diploma

2) Starting an Online Business

A few friends have expressed interest in giving money towards the initiative so that they can also help sponsor people to learn new skills. I have refused to collect for now because I want to build a solid process around this first and ensure transparency - truth is I don't want to collect anyone's cash because I want to be fully accountable and don't want anyone to think their funds are being diverted elsewhere. So right now, I'm working on developing a process around how other Nigerians can get involved and give whatever they have.

As usual, your ideas are welcome. Thanks soo much for the encouragement and support soo far. God Bless you all.

GenoMI:
Hi @beabea5, unfortunately I have not even started yet as I plan to do so next Month by God's Grace if everything is in place. But I won't be giving out cash, rather I will be paying for training, seminars, materials etc that can be beneficial towards building a business or career.

GenoMI:
Hello house, Happy good Friday. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday.

Just a quick one - quite a few people have sent me private messages here on NL but I would like to suggest an easier way that allows me to keep track of all messages - kindly use the form on this page - http://skillsonthehouse.com/contact-page/

I always look forward to hearing from people interested in the initiative. Thanks for your understanding

pinbar:


wow wow wow, that is all i can say.. so much effort has been put in since the last time i checked, so much progress

Internship program may be necessary in future so as to consolidate some of the skills acquired. This can be achieved by partnering with established organizations that make use of such skills. however, i know this idea is new and just coming up

GenoMI:
Hi @wealthmission, welldone with your site. Unfortunately I'm only giving out courses (and not cash) as a way of helping people improve their skill-set, that's the only way I can be sure that the initiative is being put to good use.