Worried by the dearth of highly skilled talents in Nigeria’s Marketing and Communications industries, the Bolaji Junaid Mentorship Programme (BJuMP), has empowered selected young professionals with the knowledge needed to grow the industry.
The mentorship programme benefited some fresh graduates, who were recently trained with skills to contribute to addressing the industry-wide challenge.
It was a 10-week intensive mentorship programme that trained the participants in soft skills, multi-disciplinary coaching, and on-the-job training to transform their potential work skills.
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Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Bolaji Junaid, partner at WhyFinite Limited, said the comprehensive programme encompassed exchange programmes with leading organisations spanning the creative, PR, media agencies, print and television media houses, client businesses, and tech firms.
Junaid said the idea was conceived in 2021 to address the dearth of skills in the industry, adding that the execution of the programme took inspiration from a blend of management traineeship and classroom formats, drawn from popular business and entertainment reality show concepts such as Dragons Den, Apprentice Africa and BIG BROTHER.
According to him, the ultimate goal was to ensure that participants not only acquired essential skills but also had an engaging and enjoyable learning experience while becoming skilful marketing and business professionals.
“The overarching vision of BJuMP is to mould the next generation of stars with a multifaceted background in marketing, entertainment, and technology. This programme remains dedicated to nurturing the next generation of marketing and business professionals and creating a brighter future for the industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, Omolara Banjoko, marketing manager of FrieslandCampina WAMCO, said the presentations at the graduation pitch event were nothing short of remarkable.
“These young professionals have clearly benefited from the programme’s comprehensive mentorship,” Banjoko said.
On her part, Nengi Akinola, head of marketing and branding at Fairmoney, said it is inspiring to see the transformation in these mentees who are truly prepared to excel in the marketing and business world.
During the programme, the mentees engaged in various technical and soft skills training sessions facilitated by industry professionals.
The courses covered a wide spectrum of topics including Understanding Briefs and Research, The Business of Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, Introduction to Finance for Consultants, and Mental Health and Work-Life Balance, among others.
The significant highlight of the programme was the working visits that mentees enjoyed at top companies in Nigeria. These visits offered a hands-on experience with prominent industry players such as AT3 Resources, SBI Media Group, Utiva, Justbrandit, and Upinthesky.
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The grand finale was the graduation pitch event where mentees had the opportunity to showcase their acquired knowledge and skills through the presentation and interpretation of an assigned brief.
In recognition of their remarkable performance, the best-performing mentee, Olajide Ogunyemi, was awarded prizes worth over 300,000 naira and a full-time role at WhyFiniteMartech Limited while Mary Fadeyi was awarded the most punctual and consistent mentee during the programme.
