Formalizing Real-world Learning in Creative Arts: Nigeria-based Twim Academy is Solving Unemployment Problem in Nigeria

There are not enough hours in a day for a teacher to meet the needs of every students, yet the great teacher tries to at least give their students value close to perfection.

However, most students are left to explore their creativity outside the walls of a classroom on their own.  According to a Brookings Institute report on Nigeria, a country that is home to more than 11 million unemployed youths, “deficient school curricula and poor teacher training have contributed to the failure of educational institutions to provide their students the appropriate skills to make them employable”.

Olumide Adeleye saw a chance to solve the above recognized problem by creating a platform that breeds entrepreneurial and creative minds in vocational art.

He founded Twim Academy in 2013 with a vision of solving the problem he recognized in the educational sector.

The Academy’s mission is to create a stellar learning experience for students of all ages as well as career level individuals and to maintain a safe environment where students can concentrate on achieving and surpassing their education goals.

They offer young people, typically between the ages of 18 and 35, courses in basic computer skills, photography, video production, web design, and visual effects.

Media and Arts students who want to grow their skillset and gain real-world experience can sign up for six weeks, certificate-level courses or earn Twim Academy diplomas in more structured, semester-long classes. Both course types offer plenty of hands-on experience and students walk away with expertise and vocational skills, because the last thing young people in Nigeria need, or can afford is empty experience.

Twim Academy has provided comprehensive vocational training to more than 100 young people, with graduates going on to become professional photographers, videographers or small business owners.

Adeleye plans to open a second academy in Ibadan, a 50-acre campus, and to scale-up across the country, with Lagos being its headquarters, being one of the world’s fastest growing cities. Their focus remains on solving the problem of unemployment in Nigeria and their programs are geared towards helping young people become self-reliant and employable.