June 25, 2017

15 business you should never avoid to start

by , in

The economy is fast growing, and people tends to make more money during
this reccesion period. you should not be left out in making cool cash even from your convenient, to start a business is quite challenging but i will highlight 15 business you can start without stressing your pocket.

1). Personal Shopper:

The fast-growth of Instagram has led to the rapid proliferation of personal shoppers. They setup Instagram accounts, flaunt highly trendy fashion collections by mostly rocking them themselves, and help people asking questions on how to get them, acquire them.
These personal shoppers have used the fashion rave of the Instagram platform to carve a niche for themselves, where they earn good profits from styling prospects without leaving their environs.

2). Event Planner:

Before a large event occurs, an event planner is usually consulted. Event planners handle everything from drawing up a good event plan, to organising the event staffs that will make the event turn out, a success.
In Nigeria and many other countries in the world, thousands of events happen everyday. These widespread spontaneous gatherings pose a great opportunity to individuals talented at successfully organising small get-togethers. With a focus on a much larger picture, these same individuals can grow successful event management businesses.

3). Home-Based Food Canteen:

From home, you could start an on-demand food service for businesses and people living in your local vicinity. Most workers don’t get to have breakfast before rushing off to work. A lot of people also find it stressful preparing meals during the day.
With these daily meal problems, the potential for an on-demand meal service grows even larger. You could open a small canteen outside your home for people in your environs to visit for a meal, and you could also deliver meals to white collar folks at their various places of work.

4). Errand Service:

Time is too precious to everyone, and waits for no man or woman. With a lot of people tied up in hectic busy schedules during the week, you could set up an errand service to cater to the other tasks they would love to have completed at home or wherever, whenever they’re too engrossed in work to make out time.
Offering a great service, would make your customers talk about you to their fellow colleagues at work. This word of mouth gesture, would slowly grow your business, till you can’t handle it anymore alone.
Errand servicing is a great small business idea for potential entrepreneurs.

5). Computer & Mobile Phone Maintenance & Repairs:

With an electronic world rapidly taking over, the demand for computer and phone servicing experts is on the rise. When most individual’s mobile devices or computers develop issues, they send it to a repairer to fix. These individuals usually have a lot on their plates to handle, and so, sometimes delegate the work to other people.
With the right mobile and computer engineering skills, you could setup a maintenance centre. You can groom your knowledge and skills by undergoing further advanced trainings from centres like New Horizons and NIIT.

6). Cleaning Service:

Large organisations like banks, hospitals, hotels, and more require the services of really good cleaners. Further more, they prefer to outsource the cleaning services to professional cleaning agencies so they can be constantly assured of a neat environment to carry out their daily operations.

7). Recycling:

With thousands of plastic bottles, nylons, newspapers, and more been constantly tossed into the street, trash cans, and several other places daily, picking for example, plastic bottles to sell to recycling plants, can prove to be a profitable business.
There’s a detailed article on how to start a lucrative plastic recycling business here.
Hire a few people to pickup these recyclables daily, and you could have a good business running in no time.

8). Social Media Consultant:

While many businesses have social media pages, how many are truly driving great user engagements? As a social media consultant, you could help these businesses handle their social media the right way, increase their customer base, and also grow their revenues.
With every successful business you satisfy, your client base would grow faster through word of mouth, and you’d end up a top earner.

9). Online Store:

You could start up an online store to sell various products. Make sure the items you sell are truly needed by people. Before you start, you’d need to do a detailed feasibility study on the e-commerce sector you’re venturing into.
You can setup your online store quickly with Wordpress. Starting for as low as only $3.95 per month, anyone can follow this link to create a WordPress site in minutes for a really cheap rate (this low price is only through my link). In addition to the low pricing, you will receive a free website domain (a $15 value), a free site builder, and a 30-days money-back guarantee through my Bluehost link if you purchase, at least, 12 months of web hosting.
It’s important you understand the online market ecosystem well, before you take a dive.

10). Copywriter:

Media websites, newspapers, and other media outlets are constantly looking for creative individuals that can churn out great content that connects emotionally with their readers. If you have a great portfolio showing the creative contents you’ve written, you can send a pitch to various media outlets to see if you could get a chance to write for them.
Over time, you’d finally get a gig, and as you write for several media platforms, your reputation and fee as a copywriter rises.

11). Home Day Care:

While parents are off to work, they need a trusted individual to take really good care of their kids in their absence. You could take advantage of this problem and start a home day care service right in your sitting room.
Connect with various mothers in your neighbourhood, build a reputation as a loving and charming woman, and mothers would feel a lot more comfortable leaving their kids in your hands during the day.
As your day-care grows, you could someday setup in a larger, more adequate space to expand your business, and subsequently, your revenues.

12). Online Retail Consultant:

Online retail consultants show e-commerce businesses how to start, run, and grow their online stores. They work hard to ensure their client’s online store(s) succeeds, and do everything to increase their revenues at the lowest cost possible.
If you’ve sometime worked for an e-commerce company, or previously ran an e-commerce business, working as a consultant, would be a great way to earn some income.

13). Career Coach:

Many individuals need guidance in their life endeavours. It could be about making the right job choices, picking the right college degree to earn, or even picking the right spouse. As a career and life coach, you’d help your clients achieve their full potential, and become the best of themselves they can be.

14). Accounting, Tax Preparation, & Bookkeeping:

Every business must prepare it’s books for an audit, at least once every year. As a professional accountant/auditor, you could offer a cheaper low cost alternative to business owners looking to prepare their tax statements. The larger the number of clients you’re able to secure, the higher your revenue figures.

15). Agriculture:

With the wide clamour for agricultural development in Africa, now seems to be a good time to get involved. Governments are also creating easy access to agricultural loans.
June 14, 2017

Going Public and Going Pro: The Power of Portfolios, Publishing & Personal Branding

by , in
One of the quintessential elements of project-based learning is producing a PUBLIC PRODUCT. Having all of our students produce high quality public work, especially in the 21st century digital world and economy, is truly essential.


First of all, it connects to other of our PBL Design Elements: (a) Authenticity - Having a Public Product makes it more real for students. Making learning real for students makes it authentic, (b) Critique & Revision: Having a Public Product also allows for greater feedback (students, teachers, professionals, experts, community members, employers) opportunities, and (c)  Reflection: Having a Public Product allows more people to experience the work of our students, especially with the many digital and online opportunities (more on that later). Showcasing and exhibiting one’s work publicly allows for celebration, but also that necessary skills of being able to articulate and defend one’s learning.
Secondly, going public also adds several learning benefits. They are:

  • Students tend to buy-in to the work and take more ownership when they know that others will be seeing, critiquing and even assessing their work.
  • Students also walk away with tangible evidence and documentation of their work that can be part of their long-term and on-going work to be used by colleges, employers and others.
  • Students not only learn from their work, but from the work of others when they see projects during all stages of design and when presented. This can apply to teachers as well.
  • Students also have greater opportunity to network with more peers, professionals, experts, community members, teachers during all types of public product work.

Going public begins, typically, with students sharing their products in presentations in class to their peers and teacher. However, that can be just the beginning. Here are three areas where we can stretch our students while preparing them for working and living in the 21st century:

THE PORTFOLIO 2.0

Traditionally, most of us associate portfolios with artists, writers and designers. In school, we have had watered down versions for years where students were asked to put their work in a folder that may or may not have been shared.
Well, we are in a new era. Forget AP scores, weighted GPA’s and SAT scores. We are now in a portfolio world and economy. Remember, in a “Gig Economy,” where our students are going to have to continually contract work and pitch themselves to clients, our students need a lifetime portfolio where they digitally present and publish their work….and themselves.

Screen Shot 2017-05-12 at 11.12.00 AM.png
Let me introduce you to Beverly Pham - a student at the University of Southern California (http://www.beverlypham.com/). I don’t know Beverly personally, but one look at her website (digital portfolio) lets me know she’s a pro. This portfolio - video, reporting, graphic design and more - showcases her academic and professional work. All of our students are entering a post-secondary world where they are competing digitally and internationally in this global economy with the likes of Beverly Pham.
All educators need to ask the questions:
Are my students ready?
Are they ready like Beverly is ready?
Are they ready to compete head on with Beverly?
How will others see and experience their work and skills?
My guess is that Beverly didn’t necessarily learn all of these skills, as well as how to digitally feature and display them, from her high school curriculum. But she should have.
Students, as well as educators, can house their portfolios at a number of free website building tools and applications. If the school is a GAFE site, many might use Google Sites that is part of their Google Applications. But there are literally dozens of free commercial sites (Wix, Weebly, ehost, Sitebuilder and many others). All of these have commercial upgrades, but are not required in order to have a fully-functioning site and portfolio.
Screen Shot 2017-05-12 at 11.33.33 AM.png
A student’s digital portfolio can house any number of things including, but not limited to presentations, writing, photos, videos, social media links, bios, resumes, testimonials and more.
In addition to getting a site set-up as their ongoing portfolios, many are also encouraging all students to purchase a url or domain with their name. For a few dollars a year, we can all own some derivation of our name as a domain. Once a student has purchased a domain, they can point whatever free website building tool site to that url. In only bought mine (http://michaelniehoff.com/) a few years ago and wish I would have started earlier.
There are lots of reasons why all of us should purchase a domain for our name. See more info here: http://awesomelytechie.com/buy-custom-url-domain/

PUBLISH OR PERISH

It’s not enough to have a portfolio. We need to have students also become regular digital content creators.

Screen Shot 2017-05-14 at 6.30.15 AM.pngScreen Shot 2017-05-14 at 6.31.04 AM.png
One of the best ways to have students create quality content is to have all them create their own blog as well. Again, they have many free blog applications (Wordpress, Blogger (Google Apps.), etc.. Like the website building applications, they have paid upgrades. But they are never necessary. Having a blog can serve many purposes. First, all students need to be writing and reflecting about their work. This provides opportunities for higher level thinking and as a means to document what we do. Second, blogs also allows us a means to share our story. All of us have a story, a journey if you will, that can now be shared with others in order to connect, collaborate, motivate, inspire and learn from one another. Finally, blogs also allow students and others to develop a positive and professional digital footprint and brand while pursuing areas of specialty and expertise.
But in addition to blogging, one can become a content creator in other ways too. Think about students who produce videos starting their own YouTube channel. It’s creating a Flickr account for all of your photos.

Personal Branding (Social Media)

download.jpgsocial-media-literacy-turlock-usd-7-638.jpg

Many of us in the Ed Tech community have long been advocating for education to view Social Media as one of the new literacies. First, more and more colleges/universities, as well as employers, are looking at candidates’ social media profiles to make decisions about them. It can certainly be a problem if someone has lots of negative Social Media activity (profanity, racism, sexism, drugs and alcohol, sex). But I would argue that it’s also a problem if someone has no footprint whatsoever.
What do any of us get when we Google our names? Once we separate ourselves from our various same name global colleagues, what can the world find out about us online? Using Social Media as a vehicle to showcase any and all of our professional or academic work can support this idea of developing a positive digital footprint and being globally competitive. Students inherently view Social Media as primarily social. It’s our job, as educators, to show them the true, exponential power of Social Media as the Four C’s (Collaboration, Communication, Creativity and Critical Thinking).
One could argue that our social media activity is another form of our resume/portfolio. What if all students shared their best work on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and others? Indeed, not only would that be a hands-on way of developing digital literacy and citizenship, but also a way for people to drive other people to their work.
We are rapidly moving towards defining student success and readiness by skill development and mastery. Our students need to have skills, but also be able to demonstrate and articulate them. Through digital portfolio development, digital publishing and personal branding, they can.

(photos courtesy of Foter, Pixabay and others)






June 05, 2017

SHELL NIGERIA STUDENTS SCHOLARSHIP SCHEMES

by , in

SCHOLARSHIP SCHEMES



Postgraduate Scholarship

2017 Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) is delighted to announce the seventh annual SPDC Niger Delta Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme for applicants from Rivers, Delta, Imo and Bayelsa States. The objective of the scheme is to provide an opportunity for qualifying students from these Niger Delta states to further their education in courses that are relevant to the oil and gas industry.
In the six years of this programme, 60 students have won the opportunity to study at top rated universities in the UK on an all-expenses paid scholarship.
For the academic year commencing September, 2017, SPDC in partnership with three universities in the UK--Imperial College London, University College, London and the University of Leeds—will award ten scholarships for one year post-graduate MSc studies.
The following courses qualify for award of scholarships at the three institutions

Imperial College London

  • MSc PETROLEUM ENGINEERING
  • MSc PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCE
  • MSc PETROLEUM GEOPHYSICS

University College London

  • MSc CHEMICAL/PROCESS ENGINEERING
  • MSc MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (Rotating Equipment or Metallurgy)
  • MSc CIVIL ENGINEERING (Geotechnics)

University Of Leeds

  • MSc EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS
  • MSc ELECTRONIC/ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Eligibility Criteria

  • To qualify for the scholarship, applicants must:
  • Display sound intellectual ability and leadership potentials
  • Meet the individual universities’ English Language requirements (usually at least 6.5 in IELTS score valid for Sept. 2017 admission).  Please note that TOEFL is no longer recognised by most UK universities. Candidates are advised that failure to meet each university’s English Language requirement at the time of selection may invalidate their application.
  • Be aged between 21-28 years by 30/09/2017
  • Be an indigene of Rivers, Delta, Imo or Bayelsa states (documentary proof of this will be required and will be verified)
  • Currently reside in Nigeria
  • Return to Nigeria on completion of the proposed programme of study
  • Have obtained a university degree (at least of equivalent standard to a UK Second Class Upper (Honours degree)
  • Not have studied previously in the UK or any other developed country
  • Have a Nigerian international passport valid to end December 2018
  • Be neither a current nor former employee (who has left employment less than 5 years before) of SPDC or the Royal Dutch Shell Group of Companies
  • Not be a spouse, child or ward of staff of Shell Companies in Nigeria

Application Process

  • Submit application for admission to the  any of the prospective universities for any of the qualifying courses 
  • Application forms for the scholarship will ONLY be available through the websites of the participating universities following an offer of admission by the university
  • Universities will process applications and select candidates to attend interviews  before being considered for final selection
  • Completed scholarship application forms must reach participating universities not later than 30th  January 2017.
The scholarship will cover tuition fees, one economy return flight ticket from Nigeria to the UK and a contribution towards living expenses only*.
MORE INFORMATION ON SPECIFIC COURSE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS CAN BE OBTAINED from the websites of the individual universities.
  • Please note that the stipends are based on the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) published living rates and are limited to this only
  • This is a non-committal scholarship. Note that NEITHER SPDC  NOR any of its affiliate companies is obligated to offer employment of any sort to any candidate upon graduation neither are successful candidates bonded to SPDC for any period of time on account of the scholarship award. 

University Scholarship Scheme







Education, as all parents and guardians admit, is a long-term investment with an equally long gestation period, but it is one of the best legacies to bequeath to individuals, groups and society. That has been the belief of Shell Nigeria since 1952. In 2014, $14.8 million was invested in scholarships by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo).

The University Scholarship Scheme, a programme run by SPDC on behalf of the NNPC/Shell/Elf/Agip Joint Venture, makes a quiet but very profound commentary on the company’s interest in the promotion of capacity building in the country.
Every year, more than 4,000 Nigerian undergraduates write aptitude tests to join the evergrowing list of students which Shell Nigeria supports in Nigerian Universities. The applicants are shortlisted on the basis of the national SSCE and JAMB examination results. This is followed by an aptitude test at the PortHarcourt, Warri, Enugu, Lagos and Abuja centres.
There are two categories of the Scholarship Scheme, the National Merit Award (NM), open to Nigerian undergraduates and Areas of Operation Merit Award (AOM), for students from communities in which Shell Nigeria operates. Only first year students are eligible for the awards in both categories.
An average of 16,000 applicants respond to advertisements by Shell Nigeria every year, inviting qualified candidates to apply for the scholarships which are tenable only in Nigerian Universities.
Application for the 2016/2017 University Scholarship Award closes on December 31 2016.

Secondary School Scholarship







The Shell Nigeria Secondary School Scholarship Scheme is for host communities in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo and Rivers states.
Every year, an average of 2,600 post-primary scholarships are awarded in the seven states. The Secondary School Scholarship Scheme is to help students pay through school, as well as enhance academic achievement in host communities.
The scheme, which is also a welcome relief for many parents and guardians in the education of their children, has become so popular that annually, thousands of parents and children look forward to it as a golden opportunity.
Indeed, it has today become a welcome feature of educational development, especially in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria.

Cradle-to-Career Scholarship







The Cradle-to-Career Scholarship is an all-inclusive scholarship programme that provides opportunities for brilliant pupils of less-privileged background to attend reputable secondary schools in Nigeria.
The Cradle-to-Career scheme is designed to bridge educational inequalities resulting from geographic and socio-economic difference as well as help to enhance high literacy level in the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general.
There are two categories of the Scholarship Scheme;
  1. The SPDC JV Cradle-to-Career Scholarship scheme managed by Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) on behalf of the joint venture.
    Started since 2010, candidates are selected from key Niger Delta States of Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta. Three hundred and fifty (350) talented students are already enrolled in quality secondary schools.
  2. The National Cradle-to-Career Scholarship scheme, managed by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) on behalf of itself, its co-venture partners and the NNPC.
    Candidates are selected from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, out of which the best three (3), who also meet all other award criteria are awarded the scholarship.
    The scheme is in its second year with 60 beneficiaries already placed in very good private secondary schools.
Shell Nigeria Cradle-to-Career scholarship has received several local and international commendations. At the 2011 United Nations (UN) Innovations Fair in Geneva, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon described the scheme as “a landmark initiative” and acknowledged its impressive contributions to educational development in the Niger Delta and Nigeria.

Shell Scholars





The Shell scholarship programme commenced in the 1950s. with awards to qualified Nigerians in various fields of study, both within and outside Nigeria. Many of them returned home to occupy key positions in public service, commerce and industry.

Shell Scholars' Forum - Promoting Academic Excellence in Nigeria

As Shell worked to produce and export the first barrel of crude oil for Nigeria, it also had the foresight to think of the generations of Nigerians who would one day drive the development of the newly independent nation. A quick way of achieving this was to train the required manpower through scholarship awards.
The Shell scholarship programme commenced in the 1950s with awards to qualified Nigerians in various fields of study both within and outside Nigeria. Many of them returned home and some still occupy key positions in public service, commerce and industry.
The Shell Scholars’ Forum inaugurated in 2013 is intended to create an avenue for older beneficiaries to mentor the younger ones. Relatedly, a new Shell education portfolio strategy was launched also in 2013. The objective is “to generate the intellectual and creative energy required for sustained economic performance and global competitiveness of Nigeria”. Element of the strategy include; Building Scholars, Promoting Digital Transformation and driving Growth and Development in Nigeria.
As a mark of recognition and appreciation of Shell’s effort in supporting quality education in Nigeria from the 1950s to date, the company emerged “Best Company in Education” at the 2013 Social Enterprise Report & Awards (SERAs).

Have you ever been awarded a Shell scholarship? You are part of a distinct club! Join the Shell Scholars' Forum.

The Shell Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has established the Shell Scholars’ Forum for all past recipients of Shell university and postgraduate scholarship awards. The Shell Scholars’ Forum is a great networking forum.

Why join the Forum?

Over 14,000 people have passed through Shell’s scholarship programmes over the past 50 years. Most of these scholars have excelled in their various fields and occupy exalted positions in commerce, banking, industry, academia etc.
The forum provides a common platform for networking and relationship-building among the scholars, afford them the opportunity not only to contribute to future improvements in SPDC’s education strategy, but also provide communiqués that may positively influence government policies on education. The forum would also serve as a platform to impact the younger generation of scholars and help address the educational challenges of today.
To join this forum, kindly fill out the registration form.


FOR SHELL
http://www.shell.com.ng

My Instagram