I would like to ask if you know there is a science of product innovation.

Do you know how to create solutions grounded in research and designed to meet the specific needs of your customers?

If not, then it's time to learn.

The future of entrepreneurship in Africa depends on it.


Aderinsola Adio-Adepoju (PhD)

Founder/CEO - I-Train Africa and Skilled For Work Academy

You Now Have Time,
How Do You Plan To Invest In Your Professional Growth This Holiday?

As the year winds down and companies head into the December break," "I want to remind you that this is the perfect opportunity to invest in your professional growth.
You've shown interest in our Global Opportunities Program, and I know that time has been a major constraint for you. But now, with the break approaching, you have the chance to dedicate time to yourself and your career.
Our program is designed to help experienced professionals like you build a strong personal brand on LinkedIn, attract global opportunities, and take your career to the next level. With over 400 participants from 10+ countries, we've seen firsthand the impact that this program can have.

But don't just take our word for it. Our alumni have achieved remarkable success:

- Landed jobs with top global companies
- Received invitations to sit on boards
- Won international awards
- Secured speaking engagements worldwide

And I want to share a specific story that illustrates the power of our program. Two years ago, one of our clients used the December holiday break to take our Global Opportunities Program. She would go to her office, but instead of working, she would use the time to learn and take the course.
The program consists of two online courses: the first one helps you achieve *brand clarity and craft a compelling message, while the second one teaches you how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and write articles that position you as an expert in your field**.
By February, just two months after completing the program, she had attracted three opportunities in three categories. This is the kind of impact that our program can have on your career.

And she's not alone. Another one of our clients also used the December holiday break to take the program, and by January, they had already started seeing results.

She took the program 2 years ago during the end-year break, and she got results☺️. GOP batch 5

Also, check Abels' first win after learning in Dec.

This is From the current batch 8. You will realize that he was busy but eventually made time to focus on his career development. Within a few weeks into the program, he is seeing results.☺️

So, I want to ask you: what will you do with your time this holiday season? Will you use it to invest in your professional growth or let it slip away?


By investing just $300 and a few hours of your time, you can:


- Enhance your brand and online presence
- Develop a tailored strategy for attracting global opportunities
- Connect with a community of like-minded professionals (alumni network)


Don't let this opportunity slip away. Use the December break to invest in yourself and your career. Enrol in our Global Opportunities Program today and get ready to attract global opportunities in 2025.
Click here to learn more about GOP👉🏾https://itrainafrica.com/LINKEDINOFFER/

Click here to apply👉🏾 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDV2IHfQEuKzOMm4uML88cu3yZwDlUAOUkWm1zfbzTHL1hIw/viewform

Don't miss this chance to transform your career. Enrol now and make 2025 your best year yet!

We're excited to invite you to the December edition of our Alumni Spotlight Session, featuring Blessing Aifuwa, one of our distinguished alumni ! 💃

Join us TODAY December 11, 2024 as we celebrate Blessing's remarkable journey and achievements.

During the session, Blessing will share her:

* Success Story
* Career Milestones
* Experiences and lessons learned from our programs

She will also share Insights on how to leverage our programs for career growth

You'll also have the opportunity to:

* Network with fellow alumni and current students
* Ask questions and gain valuable insights from Blessing's experiences

Date: December 11, 2024 (TODAY)
Time: 6pm-7pm WAT
Venue: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81575993836?pwd=ABjXg3ITNlakRKCbujkviv08kVaVxY.1

We look forward to seeing you there!😊

We are live!

Join here👍 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81575993836?pwd=ABjXg3ITNlakRKCbujkviv08kVaVxY.1

Hello, Community! 👋

Dr. ADERINSOLA is here again with amazing insights on *design thinking*! 🧠✨ This powerful approach will help you tackle challenges creatively and turn your ideas into impactful solutions.

Are you ready to dive in and elevate your problem-solving game? Let’s get started! 💡🙂

To command higher pay at work, you need design thinking. I did not say so, Harvard did.

Several educators who have gone through the Skilled For Work Academy Workplace Foundational Skills (WFS, one of our programs at I-TrainAfrica) program have sung praises about the logical and sequential order in which the modules were arranged.

Why do you think that is so?

We followed a structured innovation process (the design thinking methodology) to create this sustainable solution.

Now that you know the secret, let me walk you through the 5-stage innovation process (design thinking methodology), a step-by-step guide to creating innovative solutions that meet your customers' needs.

But before we dive in, I want to emphasise that design thinking is not just for entrepreneurs hoping to launch a business. In fact, design thinking is a critical skill that is now in high demand, even for employed professionals.

Whether you're a marketing manager, product manager, or innovation leader, design thinking is essential for driving innovation and growth.

It may interest you to know that, given I know how critical this skill is, a lesson of the WFS (module 7, lesson 1) provides a quick introduction to this innovation method. I believe it's a foundational skill that every profession will require soon

So, what is design thinking? Simply put, design thinking is a human-centred approach to innovation that involves empathizing with customers, defining problems, ideating solutions, prototyping, and testing.


Now, let's dive into the 5-stage innovation process:👇🏾

Stage 1: Empathize
The first stage of the innovation process is to empathize with your customers. This involves deeply understanding their needs, pain points, and motivations. To do this, you'll need to conduct thorough research, including:

- Customer interviews and surveys
- Observational research
- Analysis of customer feedback and reviews

I can attest to the importance of this stage. As a PhD student, I lacked the skills to conduct proper research, and I felt the pain firsthand when I got to the UK for my split-site research. Later, as a business owner, I faced the pain again as an employer who couldn't find skilled staff. If you don't critically feel the pain of the customer, how can you design solutions that meet their needs? This is the most critical part of the design thinking phase.

A story that illustrates the importance of empathy is one I heard at the UNLEASH innovation lab. The World Bank went to a village in Africa and saw children walking long distances to fetch water. They assumed the problem was the lack of water, so they sank a borehole in the village. However, when they returned months later, they found the children still walking long distances to fetch water. It wasn't until they asked the parents why they were sending their children to fetch water that they discovered the real problem: the families needed separate rooms for their children so that the parents could have privacy to meet at night. The problem wasn't water; it was housing.

Stage 2: Define
Once you've gathered insights from your customers, it's time to define the problem you're trying to solve. This involves identifying the key challenges and opportunities and developing a clear problem statement.

To define the problem, you'll need to:

- Analyze your research findings
- Identify patterns and themes
- Develop a clear problem statement
-

At Skilled For Work Academy(department where soft and hard skills are thought under I-TrainAfrica), we've learned the importance of taking the time to define the problem clearly. When we were developing our curriculum, we spent months researching and testing our ideas, which ultimately paid off.

Stage 3: Ideate
With a clear problem statement in hand, it's time to start generating ideas. This involves brainstorming and exploring different solutions to the problem.

To ideate effectively, you'll need to:

- Use techniques like mind mapping and brainstorming
- Encourage wild and creative ideas
- Build on and combine ideas

In today's virtual work environment, I highly recommend the use of collaborative work tools to facilitate ideation sessions. Tools like Mural or Miro (covered on WFS) are excellent for virtual brainstorming sessions, allowing team members to collaborate and build on each other's ideas in real-time.