A BRIEF CONCEPT NOTE ON THE GODFREY OKOYE UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS CENTRE FOR COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, GOUNI-SCCI
Vision
To bridge the gap between learning and earning.
Mission
To collaborate with the business community, chambers of commerce and institutions of learning towards raising scholars in business by:
- Building Capacities for commerce, industry, wealth creation and economic development
- Building partnerships and synergies between the businesses community and institutions of learning thereby supporting themselves for prosperity beyond limits.
- Supporting growth and development of both new and old businesses through strategic linkage to the resources, skills and opportunities they need.
- Bridging the gaps between certificates and skills; marketplace and institutions of learning; the Public and Private Sectors as well as between employment and empowerment.
- Advocating for adequate curriculum to tackle unemployment, under-employment and poverty.
“In today’s knowledge-based economy, what you earn depends on what you learn….”
William J. Clinton
The GOUNI-SCCI is a Business Hub in campus established to bridge the gap between learning and earning by raising more academics in business.
While bringing practical trade, commerce and industry into the academic institution, the Centre equally takes scholars and academics from the institution to the marketplace. This is both novel and sustainable.
GOUNI-SCCI is designed to:
- Bring the marketplace into GOUNI while taking GOUNI to the marketplace.
- Bridge the Scholarship gap in Entrepreneurship. Currently, that gap is so wide to the extent that even a marketing Professor who must have written so many marketing books may not know how to market the marketing books in the marketplace except by compelling his students to buy. But marketplace traders know how. The same is applicable to a political scientist that knows practically nothing in the real world of politics; even a certified Automobile Engineer may not know the practicality of automobile systems. The list is endless but GOUNI-SCCI is now here to rewrite that ugly story.
- Bridge the gap between certificates and skills
- Take the “gown” to “town” and vice versa.
- And ultimately bridge the gap between learning and earning.
The Role of Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry in Business Development and Management
Every year thousands of students graduate from our academic institutions and start looking for jobs. This ugly trend could be changed by EBSU-SCCI as participating students would benefit more by training them to create new jobs for themselves through establishing new businesses based on experience gathered while learning and earning from the Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry. To achieve this:
1) We need more lecturers who are fully dedicated to this important task of collaborating with the Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry in training our next generation of professionals and entrepreneurs.
2) A significant percentage of our university students have entrepreneurial spirit and ambitions with great potential to start their own companies soon after graduation or even while at school. The Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry in collaboration with various captains of industry can assist these select groups of students to create jobs for themselves, and for their fellow classmates, instead of looking for jobs elsewhere.
3) We are glad that one of the units in the Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry is the “New Business Development unit.” The mission of this New Business Development unit is to provide guidance and support to young undergraduates and graduates who have the talent to be our future business leaders and who wish to start their own new companies while still in college or soon upon graduation.
4) We are hopeful that Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry will provide to interested students incubator facilities and assistance in applying for both government as well as private sector funding in order to start their new businesses.
5) Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry will equally collaborate with government research agencies to productize and commercialize the research results produced through their funded research programs.
INHERENT OPPORTUNITIES: The opportunities available in this centre include International business network, ICT/Digital technology skills, Business Mentorship, Industrial Training/Work Experience, Business Idea Incubation/Commercialization, Startup Funding, Boosting export-import trade balance, Enhancing our digital-economy and bio-economy, Commercializing our science and technology, Promoting our entertainment industry, Policy advocacies for business development framework, curriculum and job creation
BENEFITS TO THE NATION:
As Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry is being established in our universities all over the nation to boost international trade, commerce and industry among scholars, a minimum of 15,000 jobs via the projected 150,000 trained startups yearly can be generated. This can increase our GDP, reduce poverty, insecurity and help to actualize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
BENEFITS TO THE INSTITUTION OF LEARNING (GOUNI):
- Participation in Practical Trainings, Master-classes and Recruitment of Scholars (startups, students, lecturers, staff and general public) into various skills, trades and industries for the purpose of earning income while learning.
- Gaining practical and professional experience while still in school.
- Partaking in the publication of “ISCCI Citations of Excellence” primarily for use as a motivational book for scholars and startups in various fields of human endeavor.
- Earning Commissions while promoting the business activities of partnering companies/organizations who are also expected to contribute generously towards the infrastructural development of the host institution (EBSU).
- Participating in International Trade Exhibitions, Conferences, B2Bnetwork programmes and a host of other corporate programs/services.
BENEFITS TO THE PARTNERING COMPANIES/ORGANIZATIONS:
- Trainees Using your corporate Brand on SCCI vehicle for mobile product marketing network
- Using your corporate image to Brand a designated space as well as a desk with freelance staff provided for your business within the business hub in campus
- Free University Training & Certification of your staff in any area of choice at your location
- Placement of your adverts in the Scholars Centre website and publications @50%discount
- Sending your delegates in Scholars Centre oversea trade missions @30% discount
- Participating/exhibiting/presenting your corporate brands in Scholars Centre programmes @50%discount
- Inclusion of your company’s profile as well as MD’s profile in Scholars Centre “Citations of Excellence” publication
CONCLUSION: Scholars Centre for Commerce and Industry is about how to plant the seeds of future industries through encouraging and supporting new business development activities at our universities.
Many of the students studying at our academic institutions have entrepreneurial spirit and possess innovative applied technological ideas. These students should be encouraged and be provided with proper guidance and support. They should be enabled so that they are in a position to create new jobs for themselves and for their fellow students instead of looking for jobs after they graduate.
THANK YOU
