Skill-to-market platform AltSchool Africa, has expanded its learning faculty to introduce Creative Economy, and Business schools, following an impressive 40 per cent completion rate in its first year.
Co-founded by Adewale Yusuf, Akintunde Sultan, and Opeyemi Awoyemi in 2021, AltSchool Africa has, since its inception, received over 50,000 applications from at least 83 countries, with the majority of applicants coming from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom.
The tech-enabled platform has also successfully enrolled more than 20,000 learners. Taking a non-conventional approach to learning, the platform is designed to traditionally offer courses directly related to in-code and no-code courses.
Strengthening its push in the edtech sector, AltSchool Africa has included content creation, sales, and music business – using Afrobeats as a case study, to its existing nine courses, with applications now open for the first cohort of these new streams.
In the last two years, AltSchool Africa has facilitated nearly three million hours of training for tech roles, including software engineering, data science, and product design. The new programmes are focused on non-traditional careers beyond the technology field, and are designed to provide a comprehensive and experiential upskilling platform for aspiring learners looking to forge careers in other growing sectors.
The startup, in a statement, noted that over 90 per cent of youths aged 15-24 in Africa are part of the informal sector with very low pay due to lack of relevant skills. This, it said, underscores the pressing urgency to enhance Africa’s workforce through upskilling initiatives.
With the ongoing adoption and expansion of technology on the continent, Africa has witnessed a burgeoning interest in its creative economy. As a result, a new wave of nonconformist career paths have emerged (for example, music management, content creation, and influencer marketing). This shift in thinking has enabled young people to reimagine their goals as well as career prospects outside of technology; with AltSchool spearheading a new era in learning for the continent.
Speaking on the launch and call for applications, Adewale Yusuf, co-founder and CEO of AltSchool Africa, said the startup’s goal is to create a fun and communal learning platform for all Africans to develop their skills, regardless of their previous education or background.
Yusuf noted that AltSchool Africa’s unique teaching methods have proven successful in helping learners better retain information, demonstrating that it understands the complexities of how online education works.
“We are excited to announce the addition of these two new faculties, with qualified experts leading the courses. These industries were specifically chosen for their rapid growth, and we want to help people quickly enhance their careers in these fields,” he said.
According to the AltSchool Africa chief executive, many individuals in Africa earn low salaries due to a lack of essential job skills training. To address this challenge, he explained that the platform aims to make a positive impact by connecting individuals with the necessary skills for the job market, enabling them to grow and reach their full potential, thereby contributing to a brighter future for the continent.
