A lot of people today are doing courses simply because their parents suggested for them or want to follow their parents and friends career path.

They end up studying what they don’t like only to regret later in life when it’s too late. But each one of us has a particular Talent and Gift. When expressed or exercised, it helps one to discover his strengths and abilities thus enabling one to make a great contribution making the world a better place.

It is common to find in Africa many high school leavers very confused about their careers and only think that grades will determine. So they wait for results of examinations with so much of anxiety and when the results are out, they seek the guidance of teachers, parents or friends who have completely no idea about their unique abilities.

Can you imagine someone who scores all straight As and is a gifted musician, who is already performing and earning for it?

Who will accept that he/she pursues a degree in music instead of medicine or engineering in Africa?

Your bet is better than ours… no one will listen to “this crap of music” yet he/she has top grades… The talent may die over the years of studying medicine or engineering …. Others may complete the medicine or engineering degree and present the certificates to the parents but quickly move on to the career of their natural talent. Unfortunately, it will be late and already costly.

In many African villages there are people who may have dropped out of mainstream learning due to factors that have no relationship with their natural intelligence. These are people who may have dropped out due to:

– Poverty leading to lack of food, shelter and fees
– Harsh learning environment that requires them to travel long distances in pursuit of education, and without adequate or appropriate learning resources
– Early and unexpected pregnancies, or sickness that hinders ability to learn effectively
– Family troubles, lack of guidance and associated behavioral issues,
– Inability to understand some subjects e.g. Mathematics and Sciences hence falling out with teachers
– Having non-academic talent hence regarded as a academic failure e.g. being good in sports but schools are concentrating in academics
– Natural learning challenges e.g. timidity leading to panic in examinations, inability to memorize or cram notes effectively

Frustrated by education setups these people usually drop out of the mainstream education and begin to make a living through non-formal engagements. They would get into mechanics, small trading, enterprise developments, and innovation rubrics e.g. ability to repair TVs or radios in the villages without any formal education in electronics

Some of them emerge with amazing success. Some end up being very good business magnets, others create innovations at village level, while others become the most trusted village leaders who would eventually win elections or get appointed by government as chiefs or community level administrators.

Due to the nature of their duties and level in society, these individuals may wish to access further education so that they can improve in their roles and at the same time gain respect for academic achievement.

Often they would approach established academic institutions who have set admission criteria that require passing examinations at levels they never reached. So they usually shy away from these institutions which usually send them to “bridging programmes” where they learn with children the age of their own.

In this century, you life and work experience can be evaluated, equated to Credit Points hence allow you to register for a course at a higher level and get exemptions that would enable you to complete that degree faster!

The rate of unemployment in the world is ever on the increase everyday. Graduates tarmac for many years until they give up to take manual jobs that pays them peanuts yet they are proud holders of university degrees.

The unemployment in Kenya for instance stands at 40% and out of this population, 70% are youths.

According to a report published by International Journal of Social Science, universities are producing graduates lacking appropriate skills and knowledge needed in work place.

While many graduates excel in reading, writing, and arithmetic competence stressed in institutions, they don’t have social skills, critical thinking, communication and language skills to progress their careers.

The GATES Talent Based Learning has taken a path of producing the job creator rather than job seekers

The good old days when graduates had choice jobs waiting for them upon their graduation has become history. In those days, it was pride to be called a graduate.
Today graduates are found doing odd jobs presumed to be done by the less educated. Many are loitering and drinking cheap liquor, wasting their talents in the villages that hold fund raising in support for their school fees!

Parents have given everything for education. Selling land, livestock and any form of wealth they possess to pay for their children school fees hoping they will gain later when their children finish school and secure good jobs. That rarely happens.
Where is the problem? According to recent research, it has also emerged that universities are producing unqualified graduates causing skills mismatch in the labor industry hence the high rate of unemployment.

Education should be a continuous empowering process that allows and guides students to develop their passion and progress on critical thinking.

Education must lift us from poverty as once the late statesman, President Nelson Mandela said, ‘education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’
If you are longing for that change, join Gates Education Group today, explore our faculties and choose a course that can support your talent area.
Gates Education Group provides Talent Based Learning and not Academic Learning. The institution promotes methods that meet the needs of a huge number of students and adults with inborn but ignored potential.