INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY
BIOGRAPHY Nick Barniville is a member of the board for Friends of ESMT, an organisation dedicated to supporting ESMT Berlin and magnifying its social impact on a global scale. He is also a non-executive director of Industry Immersion Africa. A former associate dean of degree programmes at ESMT Berlin, Barniville decided to go independent after 22 years of working in top business schools by setting up edtech consulting company GomeraTech. His work focuses on helping universities and business schools implement a successful online or digitalisation strategy
In its first year, 1,145 STEM graduates completed the Ghana1000 programme, exceeding initial targets. The aim is to offer the programme to 2,000 graduates in 2024 and grow it significantly beyond that over the next five years. By extending the model to other African countries, iiAfrica aspires to train one million graduates across its programmes by 2035. The entire continent is ripe for programmes that leverage the scientific and academic excellence of many African universities with the industry connections enjoyed by global business schools. The potential merits of exchanges and online offerings Of course, ESMT Berlin is not the only school starting in-country initiatives to support local development and mitigate against the effects of brain drain. Many are developing exchange partnerships with universities in Africa, which allow students to experience business education outside Africa while completing the bulk of their studies at home institutions. These include the African members of the Global Network for Advanced Management, such as Nigeria’s Lagos Business School and Strathmore University Business School in Kenya. Another AMBA-accredited school in Germany, the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, has been offering an executive MBA programme in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo for more than 10 years. Run in partnership with the Protestant University of the Congo, this degree programme offers access to both an excellent local partner and faculty from an internationally accredited European institution, meaning that graduates are well placed to develop their careers locally. In addition, business schools with excellent online programmes can do more to expand access to participants in developing countries without any potential brain drain becoming a factor. For example, ESMT Berlin offers a full-tuition scholarship for its online MBA through the BMW Change Maker Fellowships programme. Open to citizens and residents of South Africa, Romania and India, among others, participants also receive the opportunity to network with leaders from across the BMW Group and expand their professional horizons. Working towards the worldwide availability of talent Whether they pursue in-country degree offerings, scholarships for online learning or exchange programmes, business schools have a responsibility to support students in advancing their career prospects and developing their knowledge wherever they aspire to study. However, alongside this, schools also have a responsibility to acknowledge and mitigate any potential brain‑drain effects they may be creating through initiatives that aim to widen their reach. Advancements in technology allow business schools to deliver content in developing countries and emerging economies around the world, granting thousands of individuals access to personalised, world-class material. Done correctly, this not only has the potential to enhance participants’ skills and employment prospects, but also ensures talent remains available to local industry.
Ambition | SEPTEMBER 2024 | 29
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online