The Hospitality Industry Brings Chances Of Empowerment In Africa

Africa is the continent which has actually invited what we call development as it is eager to do so. This is evident as because the one of the countries in the continent, Ghana has the possibility of developing its hospitality industry as the probability of it originates from the growing natural resources and commercial centres. This improvement is quite prominent as the global brands are expanding their reign in the country. Brands include Four Seasons; Radisson Blu; Protea Hotels and Marriott.

Image source:bit.ly/1MMWT96

The HTI Consultancy Says

Wayne Troughton, founder and CEO of hospitality and property consulting firm HTI Consulting, thinks that Ghana; Mozambique; Ethiopia; Nigeria; Kenya; Angola and Tanzania are the countries having significant scopes for the development of the hospitality industry.

Source:bit.ly/1FxTaJW

Significantly, it will also pave the way for the improvement of job scopes and the learners need the hospitality management courses only.He also added the role of the frontier market that appeared from the conflict is one of the important factors for such development.

He said "Frontier markets, post-conflict states... a lot of them don't even have one decent hotel. So there are a lot of opportunities." Ten years of develop consulting has been improved by the HTI consulting in 35 countries of the continent and the countries of the Middle East.This can effectively help the online learners as an online hospitality management courses will allow them to study from anywhere in the world.

The Reason Of Such Flourish

Troughton says that the identification of the continents potential by the investors and the foreign companies will pave the way for the increase of the post-conflict market.

He commented "These are markets that they typically didn't want to look at five years ago but now, because their footprint has increased in some of the other major markets, they are now looking at these frontier markets and there is good opportunities for them because these markets are crying out for one or two good hotels.”

Image source:bit.ly/1PAQgEs

He added “And their first mover advantage is quite important because if you get in with a new hotel development it can often stop the development of others until demand picks up. These markets are coming out of conflict and some of them have found oil but the GDP growth is in the very early stages of growth, so they are in their infancy in terms of economic lifecycle."

Why Do Africa Need Conferences?

Image source:bit.ly/1gTW14i

The hospitality management courses will empower  lots of poor students. But how? Troughton thinks that the continent wants conferences. According to him, the governments and the countries are hopefully willing to inaugurate the hotel industry as the convention centres activates it.

He says "It's one of the markets in Africa - what we call the MICE market (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) - which is largely untapped... I think it's a hot topic that governments and countries are looking at developing international convention centres as a means of attracting, and also stimulating, hotel demand. In Mozambique they are looking at it at the moment. In Rwanda they are busy constructing a large international convention centre."

Mixed-Use Improvement

Mixed-used improvement advances the commercial improvement in a collaborative way.For instance, a hotel inside a shopping mall will generate 15%-20% more revenue than a hotel that is individual. He also pointed out that the old, undeveloped and distressed buildings can be handed over to the investors and they can make good profit out of it as it means less expenditure and more earning.

Go With The Demand

It is significant that the continents countries will witness an unimaginable change if the requirements according to relevancy are tried to reach. Added to that, the online hospitality management courses provide the students the opportunity to learn and get employed no matter wherever they are in this world. it only needs the countrymen not only to wake but also to walk.

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and views with us by commenting below. We would love to hear from you.

Article source - bit.ly/1MMWT96

The Education Minister Launches 16th Aisling Bursaries

Education is the intensely powerful gift and it is amazing that through this gift we can even obtain grater possibilities It should not hindered by financial problems and the journey of it should always persist. The inevitability and its unstoppable force is felt when the education minister John O’Dowd, guest speaker at the launch of the Aisling Bursary presentations held at St Mary’s University College, warmly appreciated the students; the business donors and the local individual contributing the sponsorship for the Bursaries.

Image source:bit.ly/1OuwgpO

The minister’s view

The minister praised the students struggling to identify what they can achieve through education and improving skills. It is the 16th year when the education minister voiced for thr Aisling Bursaries describing it as a beneficial factor to the students. He said the Aisling Bursaries is “a positive way to help students with their education and training costs and I am very encouraged by the willingness of students to strive to be the best they can be.”

The Bursaries’ view

The Bursaries encourage payment in cash for the students of West Belfast, failing which, they may not be able to complete their course of studying This cash comes in the form of donation from the businesses; groups; families or interested individuals.

Image source:bit.ly/1KzNueg

The minister thinks that economical problems should not act like an impediment to education. He said “The achievements of everyone receiving Bursary awards proves that, given the right opportunities and support, our students can thrive and do well in their education. I have always believed that a young person’s financial situation should not influence their educational opportunities and I will continue to work hard to ensure that all pupils get the same opportunities to fulfil their potential – regardless of what school they go to or what background they come from.”

Geraldine McAteer, the CEO of West Belfast partnership believes that skill development actually fasten the personal development of a learner and through this each of them become capable to advance the economy. He also believes the Aisling Bursaries is one of the causes for this noble purpose.

She said “The WBPB believes in the fundamental need to put education at the heart of regeneration – a sound education, good training and skills development contribute to the personal development of

Image source:bit.ly/1L5V07b

young people, to their confidence, their sense of fulfilment and personal growth and to achieving their aspirations and goals in life. But significantly, by acquiring the skills and competencies that modern businesses need, young people will help drive the economy and also local economic and social regeneration. The Aisling Bursaries are an invaluable and effective social justice tool which help provide a level playing field for people from West Belfast. The local businesses, families and individuals who contribute are to be commended for their commitment to empowering local people in west Belfast to achieve a better life for themselves and their families.”

A healthy partnership The Principal of event hosts St Mary’s University College, Professor Peter Finn, said that it was a wonderful experience for the institution to be partnered with the Aisling Bursaries.

He said, supporting the Aisling Bursaries ,that an essential feature like the higher education should not be the victim of socio economic inequalities and a greater social justice must be founded. The Aisling Bursaries is the place where the students can found the lost light of their hope.

Image source:it.ly/1jahvLR

He added “Increasing participation in third-level education is particularly important in the West Belfast area and the Aisling Bursaries Scheme, delivered by the West Belfast Partnership Board, is one of the best examples anywhere of a commitment to help students realise their full potential.”

Everyone’s education

Education is for everybody it should be achieved by them. The learners’ sincere wish and the efforts of the Aisling Bursaries and more can make it possible. It is a gift and it will produce more gifts in the future if it is earned by the learners.

What do you think? Share your own opinions and thoughts with us by commenting below. We would love to hear from you.

Article source - bit.ly/1FvzFla

Inclusive Education: Making Education Better For Oman's Children

Experts believe that inclusive education will help to educate and improve the future of children across Iman. Recently, a one day workshop was held that focused on the management and challenges in inclusive education. The event was conducted recently by the Indian School Salalah at the institutes's auditorium for educators of different classes from Kindergarten to Class VIII.

 

Era Of Inclusive Education

 

According to a press release issued by the Indian School Salalah noted that inclusive education and motivation is necessary for eradicating all obstacles that are related to education and learning. The participation of the students are crucial as it is with the participation of learners susceptible to marginality and exclusion. This focuses on the basic goals of overcoming or reducing all exclusion from learning. The Indian School Salalah has earned a strong reputation for taking inititative and being influential in supporting and improving learning, said the press release.

Image Source:bit.ly/1QA9on7

 A recent report in The Times of Oman states “The inaugural session was graced by Ram Santhanam, president of the school management committee (SMC), SMC members Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya, C. Vinay Kumar, and Rajput Dhanraj, Dr. Lovely Eugene, occupational therapist at the Sultan Qaboos Hospital in Salalah, T. R. Brown, principal, Omana Mathews, vice principal, S. Srinivasan, assistant vice principal, Dr. Aruna Shukla, counsellor, various department heads and in-charges.”
 

Importance Of Inclusive Education

 

image Source:bit.ly/1ipNKXo

Experienced faculty in English, Jane D’mello was pleased with the gathering and welcomed all participants. Jane also presented a detailed introduction of Simmi Santha, the resource person and a reputed behavioural therapist. Talking about the importance and purpose of the inclusive education workshop, Santha commented that educators encounter various difficulties in executing inclusive education. She also requested the participants and audience to consider the issue from their own perspective.

During the initial session of the workshop, several points were discussed thoroughly, which included development disabilities, behavioural disorders, health and physical difficulties, language and speech difficulties, communication disabilities, sensory disabilities, intellectual difference etc. The next session was organised and led by by Dr. Lovely Eugene. She started the session by using brain gym exercises as well as educational kinesiology where educators seemed to enjoy a number of activities and exercises. Later the second session was conducted by Santha.

Simmi Santha, during her session, focused on the significance of the attitudes

Article source:bit.ly/1KNG0e1

of educators towards children with special needs. She believes that every special needs child must be placed and educated with normal students. Moreover, special services must be provided to these students and it must be ensured that special children are enrolled in general and regular classes. This will help such students to communicate and interact with normal children as much as possible.

 

Taking Special Care

 

Then Dr. Debashish offered his own opinion on a specific query of an educator. He commented that each and every educator has to take care of autistic students in their classes and it is imperative that they know each student in order to provide a superior learning experience. Afterwards, another session was held by Santha specifically for parents of students with special needs. Once she interacted with all the parents, she requested them to share their feelings about being the parent of a student with special needs.

Simmi Santha told the parents that they should deal with special children with much love, care and affection. She motivated all the parents by providing them important suggestions and requested them personally to accept their kids just the way they are. At the conclusion of the event, Ram Santhanam, president of the SMC, said “The workshop on inclusive education is a service.” 

What do you think? Feel free to add to the discussion by commenting below.

Article source - bit.ly/1iIUdg0

Become a Business Professional By Studying A BA Degree

Do you want to build a career in business? Do you aspire to work in a leadership position? Then a career in business administration (BA) is just right for you. It will allow you to explore your skills and abilities and build a booming career in the world of business. Let's take a look....

Image source : tinyurl.com/ogm2cod

BA is a vast career area which includes a wide array of leadership and management roles. Every organisation, whether large or small, needs skilled and trained administrators to make operations more effective and accomplish business goals. If you are a self-motivated and organised individual, then you will surely succeed in powerful environments. As you will know how your business works and be able to deal with stress, you will be able to expand your business.

What is the role of a business administrator?

Being a BA professional you need to deal with day-to-day operations and implement long-term business plans. You will need to work as a leader and a manager by taking care of various aspects related to a business. You can surely find a wide range of career opportunities across different industries as administrators are required in each and every field. 

As a business administrator, you will need to - 

• Set & implement organisational & departmental policies, procedures & goals
• Manage and monitor the budgetary & financial activities in your organisation 
• Adopt new technologies effectively in the workplace
• Supervise general activities of the business related to products & services
• Approve and/or negotiate agreements & contracts
• Collaborate with other managers, board members and employees
• Evaluate sales reports & other financial statements
• Assign tasks to managers & department heads
• Find ways to reduce costs and boost performance, productivity & profits

What career options are available? 

As a business administration professional you can get an array of leadership, administrative and management roles in public, private and non-profit organisations. You can also opt to work as a operations manager, business analyst, marketing specialist or human resources generalist across industries. In fact, you can even choose to become an entrepreneur & start your own business.

Image source : tinyurl.com/pbsggyg

 You will have several employment options in business administration and numerous opportunities to create a thriving and lasting career. Here are some of the common job opportunities available to BA professionals-

• Chief financial officers
• Chief information officers
• Chief operating officers 
• Chief sustainability officers 
• General and operations managers

What do you need to start a BA career?

The fact is to start a BA career you will need to earn a recognised BA degree or diploma so that your prospective will know that you possess all the necessary skills and knowledge required for the job. However, studying a full time BA degree means a heavy investment of both time and money, resulting in a crippling student loan and a delayed start to your career. Is that what you want?

Image source : tinyurl.com/nnk9qhr

 If you ask me, one of the best solutions available for you is to pursue an accredited online BA top up program. This will help you gain comprehensive knowledge and skills needed for strategic planning, managing personnel resources and organisational leadership. Moreover, you will also gain a clear understanding of how a business works which will empower you to guide your business towards success. Moreover, as online top up BA courses are highly flexible and affordable, you can easily opt to work and study at the same time without making your bank account empty.

One of the greatest benefits of studying a BA top up is that it will fast track your BA degree and advance you to the final year for an MBA programme from an associated degree. This will allow you to earn a higher qualification and further boost your employability. As you will be able to earn a business degree, you will surely get the best job opportunities in the field of business and build your dream career without any hassle. 

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions with us by commenting below.

Article source - tinyurl.com/pv3qu6o

How NSFAS Can Help ‘Missing Middle’ Students In South Africa

The value of higher education cannot be underplayed as it is essential not only for personal development, but also for overall economic growth in countries worldwide. Hence, every government make sure that it takes all the necessary steps to improve the state of higher education and make it accessible for everyone, whether rich or underprivileged.

Image source : tinyurl.com/p5f9cwf

Perhaps, it is for this reason the Higher Education Department in South Africa is currently searching for helpful ways that will enable it to offer funding to learners who are from families with too much family income to become eligible for the NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme), but not adequate enough to financially support tertiary education. 

Funding ‘missing middle’ students

Dr. Blade Nzimande, Minister for Higher Education and Training in South Africa, recently spoke about the issue while speaking at a media meeting in Parliament to announce the appointment of Sizwe Nxasana, outgoing FirstRand CE, as the chairman of the scheme. He said that the problem could result in unwanted and corrupt practices at the financing sphere. The Higher Education Minister claimed that many students who are unable to meet the funding criteria of the scheme often look for fraudulent means to access it due to their desperation. 

Image source : tinyurl.com/p93n35d

The high demand for education is currently overtaking the allocated cash meant for the education funding scheme, even though the government is providing more finance to it in the last 5 years. The scheme receives an adequate portion of the entire budget of the department, which is at around R39 billion for 2014-2015. From this amount, the state funding vehicle received about R9.5 billion and it is predicted that the amount will increase to R46.3 billion in 2017-2018. But the department is currently guessing that this evident funding gap in higher education, especially at university level, through the 2016 medium-term expenditure framework may be around R35 billion. 

Coping with challenges

However, the distribution of loans for the scheme’s has become the central reason for aggressive student protests in various college campuses across the nation in the past few years as a result of the lack of funding. According to Dr. Nzimande, the students who are considered the so-called “missing middle” are children whose family income is more than the benchmark of the scheme, presently set at R122,000 per year. These students realised they were trapped in a rather desperate situation. 

Image source : tinyurl.com/on6blo4

He said “I have asked (the scheme) to look into this issue. I am told the report was submitted on Monday. It’s ... your ordinary civil servant. Your teacher, your nurse, your police (officer) who are earning slightly more than (R122,000).” More details about the report regarding how the “missing middle” students may receive funding will become available once further discussions are conducted with different government stakeholders.

Need for identifying corruption

The South African Higher Education Minister recently said that the department was unable to identify how widely corruption had spread across the scheme, “but we have a lot of anecdotal evidence.”

Dr. Nzimande added “We need to tap into that.... We hope that Mr Nxasana’s background is even more of an advantage, particularly to reach out to business to make additional contributions.”

What do you think? Add to the discussion by commenting here. We would love to hear from you. 

Article source - tinyurl.com/ozqolp7

Can An MBA Help You Achieve Your Career Goals?

Are you aspiring to be a manager? Or looking forward to move into leadership roles? Want to change your career field or planning to become a business owner? If you wish to move your career forward then an MBA can certainly provide an edge and help you accomplish your career goals faster and more easily. By studying an MBA you will get to develop various business & management skills, “like the fundamentals of finance and how it ties a business together,” according to Peter von Loesecke, CEO and managing director of The MBA Tour, which hosts various events worldwide.

bit.ly/1g7J47m

Why study MBA

Being an MBA student you will acquire comprehensive knowledge about various aspects of a business like marketing, finance, economics, business strategy, human resource management, ethics, that will better enable you to run an organisation successfully. Through a series of group projects, case studies, networking and even real world experiences you will develop the essential skills that will enhance your business perspective and acumen.

Von Loesecke said “An MBA will teach you to think holistically when solving problems. In today’s business world, you have to learn how to look at the influences, work in groups under pressure, make decisions, even when the facts aren’t clear, and be flexible enough to change those decisions when needed.”

Scott Shrum, director of MBA admissions at graduate school admissions consulting company Veritas Prep, said that an MBA “degree is designed to help you think more as a manager should - critically, strategically and globally. But one of the best reasons to get an MBA is the exposure you will gain to people from all different backgrounds and walks of life. Your network will grow and you’ll learn a lot. That exposure has lasting business value.”

Changing environment

However, if you think that earning an MBA degree means you will instantly land a high paying job with a swanky corner office then you might be expecting too much. Although it might have been true earlier, but after the last financial crisis the whole scenario has changed drastically.

bit.ly/1fo6PqU

Von Loesecke said “Before 2001, companies would hire new MBA grads even without a defined slot for them. They’re more judicious about hiring now, and 'employability,’ plays a large part in getting into schools and getting hired afterward.” I should mention that here 'employability' refers to relevant work experience which most employers tend to value more these days than a college degree. Shrum added “We’ve been seeing a trend of education inflation for some time. Two generations ago, a college degree was impressive. A generation ago, a graduate degree was impressive. Now everyone has a bachelor’s degree and many people have graduate degrees.”

So is the MBA still worth it?

Shrum believes that it is. He added “Yes, it’s still a good career investment if you choose the right program, for the right reasons and have realistic expectations.” However, first you need to gain some work experience, he said. Shrum continued “Future employers want to know what you have done and accomplished. They’re looking for talent and results. If you go straight to grad school from college, you’ll lack real-world experience, yet still expect a higher MBA salary when you get out. That’s a mismatch in today’s job market.”

Then what should you do?

If you ask me, the answer is simple, yet effective. Nowadays, online top up MBA courses have gained immense popularity due to quality education, affordability, flexibility and the numerous benefits it offers to the learners. Moreover, with rising tuition fees at B-schools and universities across the globe, more and more aspiring managers are now opting for online MBA. But how does it help you?

Apart from the providing you excellent learning opportunities and a cost-effective way to earn a degree, these courses offer high levels of flexibility and convenience. Hence, you can opt to work and study simultaneously and gain relevant work experience in your preferred industry. As the content and materials are easily accessible and available online, you can choose to study at night, at your leisure or while you are on the go and still manage time to work a full time job. Earning a recognised top up MBA degree from a reputed university in UK will also help you to get better opportunities and boost your employability. Now most employers accept and recognise top up MBA from UK universities as these provide high quality business education and offer accredited qualifications.

So if you are gearing up for a lucrative career in business management and wish to climb up the career ladder without any hassles then it's time you get enrolled for an online MBA course.

What do you think? Feel free to share your views and opinions by commenting below. I would love to hear from you.

Article source - on-ajc.com/1g7ytJK

Top 5 Emerging Online Educational Platforms for Africa

Amongst all the issues that Africa has to tackle , education is a stem concern which leads to poor development of the African Countries. Unavailability of proper educational resources and insufficient funding for higher education lead to the significant increase in the illiteracy rates and hence unemployment.

But with the onset of technological revolution into education, Africa has got a new boost. Recently the ICT conference in Johannesburg had big plans for African IT and Communication studies with corporates eager to invest into technology education.

Image courtesy: bit.ly/1OlMlL4

As we all are aware of the Africa civil and economic crisis, development in education will not be possible unless foreign investments are increased.

Online Education has definitely been a boon in disguise for the African students who wish to pursue higher education but the lack of resources drag them behind into illiteracy. 

Open University Uk , British Council, IBM, and other Technology Corporate of education and technology have leaded their hands to bring about technology and innovation into online learning and hence involve more and more of the students into higher education.

Here are few Online Learning Platforms designed and marketed in the African Nations to promote and sustain huge revolution in online education.

1. Sterio.me

As far the tag line goes "Homework on your mobile phone for teachers and their learners." It clears indicates that the students have no longer spend hours in their classrooms and like wise for the teachers who spent more than 20 hours of a week going through the classes and checking homeworks.

All they need to do is listen to the sterio of the pre-recorded lesson and then finish the assignments online and submit it. The App is so designed that the lesson sterio can also be played on the basic mobile phones.

Sterio.me founder and co-chief executive officer (CEO) Christopher Pruijsen says that Sterio.me aims to save teachers significant amounts of time by automating the homework preparation, distribution and marking process.

 This is a gaint leap for the mobile learning technology.

2. Rethink Education

It is an interactive online learning platform designed to help both teachers and learners using. The platform has a huge data base of powerpoint presentations and also interactive chat sessions on Maths, Natural Science, Physics and Chemistry. This online and mobile learning platform is convenient , cost effective and even allows the teachers and parents to monitor the students progress. Rethink Education currently only operates in South Africa, but sees Ghana and Nigeria as ideal targets for expansion due to similarities in the mathematics and science curricula in the three countries.

3. Ubongo

Ubongo online educational platform aims you in teaching children Mathematics through fun videos. Currently its operational in Tanzania, and allows participation via simple SMS. The videos hit more than 1.4 million viewers in Tanzania .

 

4. Youngsoul

As an initiative from the ICT conference , Youngsoul is the technology platform which produces e-learning software in the West African country and also improvises on the implementation of ICT in school level education. It aims to produce computer literate young Nigerian minds through VirtualClass. 

Image courtesy: bit.ly/1RPdVqa

The software tools contain animated videos, simulation exercises and teaching tools to enable Nigerian schools to meet the requirements of becoming ICT enhanced organisations. The tools are so designed that can help the teachers to closely evaluate the student progress at the individual level.

5. Obami

Obami came into existence in 2009 founded by Barbara Mallinson describes it as a “generic social network” and since then it had undergone various developments and has now finally relaunched as a profitable organisation providing a variety of educational solutions. Obami is the one stop solution for the students, teachers and parents, as well as governing bodies, NGOs, small businesses and corporates. It is available both on web and mobile versions.

All these educational platforms have been developed and marketed to help the government overcome the education challenges of Africa and hence increase its education standards to an international level.

 

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and views with us by commenting below. We would love to hear from you.

Article source - bit.ly/1O8VA1v