FAST FORWARD PROJECT REPORT...To test the relevance of training materials to teachers, employers and stakeholders. To gather feedback and review the Fast Forward manual. To gather

FAST FORWARD PROJECT REPORT

SKILLS FOR EMPLOYABILITY APRIL 2018

www.britishcouncil.org.ng

Supported By:

FAST FORWARD PROJECTREPORT

BACKGROUND

YOUTH POPULATION NIGERIAN ECONOMY

UNEMPLOYMENT GROWTH EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

64m

60%

70%

Nigeria’s economy is the largest in Africa, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of

US$522bn

2009

2013

Approximately

Lagos State

Rivers State

Cross River State

of unemployed young people left education after secondary education, suggesting there are significant barriers to accessing higher education.

CURRENT EDUCATION SYSTEM PROJECT LOCATIONS

believe that the current education system provides no relevant employment skills.

1. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey produced by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), refers to this population as aged 15–35 years.2. 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey Report produced by NBS in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.3. Akande, T (2013) Youth Unemployment in Nigeria. Washington DC. Brookings Institute. Available at www.brookings.edu/blogs/africa-in-focus/posts/2014/09/23-youth-unemployment-nigeria-akande. Accessed November 5 20144. Adefeso-Olateju, M (2014) ‘Mind the Gap’: Addressing employability skills in the Nigerian workforce Report of the British Council Skills Roundtable Event, Lagos, Nigeria.5. British Council (2010) Nigeria – the Next Generation.

SOURCE:

01

young people representing 34% of Nigeria's population.

A population of around

41%

50%from

to

youth unemployment grew from 41% in 2009 to over 50% in 2012/13

According to a joint research by the British Council and Harvard School of Public Health undertaken in 2010

02

OBJECTIVES

300 teachers and administrators in 20 schools were trained and have gained new capabilities in the use of innovation in their classrooms to deliver employability skills and support students to maximise the benefits of their work-based learning experience.

Students have gained new skills and work experience that has increased their chances of success in both post- secondary education and the workplace.

A range of employers in three states have gained experience in providing constructive work placements and participating in school-based activities that adequately prepare young people for work.

The action research project achieved the following outcomes:

02

01

03

TRAINING MATERIAL/CURRICULUM

The training material/curriculum employed for the Fast Forward project was developed by LEAP Africa. The focus of the curriculum for this programme was developing employability and life skills through innovative learning approaches to provide exceptional learning outcomes. The curriculum delivery used traditional teaching techniques (i.e. a teacher explaining a topic and students taking notes) infused with teaching methods that spurred students’ curiosity, expanded their desire to learn and prepared them for the world outside the four walls of a classroom. The curriculum also contained sample activities and approaches to enable the introduction of these skills in the classroom.

Pre-project stakeholder engagement phase

ACTIVITY 1

ACTIVITY 2Training of trainers

The British Council and LEAP Africa held a series of focus group meetings on 4, 6 and 8 October 2016, in Lagos, Rivers and Cross River respectively.

The training of trainers took place from 24 October to November 2016 in Lagos State, Rivers State and Cross River State. The training also included child protection training for teachers.

LEAP and the British Council held two EAG meetings at the start and mid-point of the project in order for the EAG to provide support for the project on the identification of risks and the development of mitigating strategies for challenges faced at various stages of the project and provide feedback on the different project activities.

ACTIVITY 3External advisory group (EAG) meeting

The internships aimed to provide students with the opportunity to practise the employability skills learned in the classroom. There are 343 students and 55 organisations across the three focal states.

The skills were delivered by the teachers using the trainers' manuals and the curriculum delivery calendar developed by LEAP Africa which served as a guide for skills to be taught per week.

ACTIVITY 4Curriculum delivery phase

ACTIVITY 5Internship phase

INTERN

PROJECT ACTIVITIES

03

LEAP and the British Council held employers meetings and collective meetings (parents, school staff and employers). These meetings were held to discuss the internship modalities, secure employers commitment and discuss child protection policies.

The target for the internship phase was to ensure at least 400 participating students have a work placement during the project.

There were two cohorts of the internship. The first cohort held from the 10–21 April 2017 in Lagos State and Rivers State and the second cohort was held from 31 July – 31 August 2017 across the three states.

ACTIVITY 5.1Stakeholder engagement

ACTIVITY 5.2Selection and verification of students for the internship

ACTIVITY 5.3Structure and duration of internships

Two schools in Lagos; Okemagba Senior High School, Epe and Ajara Community High School, Badagry could not participate in the student internships due to insufficient number of employers and security challenges in those areas. LEAP held a career day session in these schools to provide insights on how to make sound career choices.

ACTIVITY 6Career day

The British Council in partnership with LEAP Africa and The Education Partnership Centre (TEP) conducted lessons learned meetings in the three focal states. The objectives of the lessons learned meetings were to obtain participants’ feedback based on experiences with the Fast Forward project, to determine sustainability and next steps for the project and to recognise the contribution of schools and employers to the project via award/certificate presentation.

ACTIVITY 7Post-project stakeholder engagement phase

04

05

ACTIVITY 1

The British Council and LEAP Africa held a series of focus group meetings on 4, 6 and 8 October 2016, in Lagos, Rivers and Cross River states respectively. Participants of the focus group meetings included employers, external advisory group members and teachers from the selected secondary schools.

OBJECTIVES OF THE FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS

PRE-PROJECT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PHASE

1 2 3

To test the relevance of training materials to teachers, employers

and stakeholders.

To gather feedback and review the Fast Forward

manual.

To gather feedback on the implementation of

the Fast Forward project.

FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FOCUS GROUP MEETINGS

The responses and discussions from the focus group meetings showed that the teachers, stakeholders and employers were committed to implementing the British Council Fast Forward project.

Engagement of school board or commissioner of education provided information about the fast forward project and ensured that measures were put in place for the smooth running of the project in schools.






The employers in Rivers State had some concerns about working with secondary school students indicating that they might be too young to function in the workplace.

01

02

03

06

ACTIVITY 2

TRAINING OF TRAINERS

MODULES

14 modules were covered during the course of the training as highlighted below:

The training of teachers took place from 24 October to 1 November 2016 in Lagos State and Rivers State and from 14 to 21 November 2016 in Cross River State.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING OF TRAINERS(ToT) WORKSHOP

The objectives of the ToT were to equip 300 teachers in Lagos State, Rivers State and Cross River State with background knowledge, skills and practical experience required to innovatively teach 21st-century employability skills to students.

21st Century Skills for the Work Place

Tools and Skills for Facilitating Learning

Self-Awareness and Self-Confidence

Moral Ethics

Leadership

Visioning and Goal Setting

Values

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

Creativity and Innovation

Etiquette and Grooming

Communication

Teamwork

Digital Literacy and Social MediaChoosing a Career Path

07

INTERNSHIP

FINDINGS RELATED TO INTERNSHIPIn this part of the report, we describe the key findings of the evaluation of the internship, which are based on information obtained from:

STUDENT FEEDBACK

Baseline surveys: LEAP Africa administered a baseline survey to students with questions about the expectations they had for the skills they would learn during the internship. This was to assess the extent to which the internships met their expectations.

Exit surveys: At the end of the two week internship, students were asked to complete an exit survey to describe what they learned during the internship, including new skills and how the internship had influenced their aspirations and dreams for the future. The survey was also used to gather evidence about personal growth they had gained from the internship.

This internship programme has affected my dreams and aspirations, and my dream job as a journalist. It has improved my skill of speaking and communicating with others and it has also helped me to fight stage fright. It has also given me the boldness to speak in the midst of others and especially the elders.Samuel F Blessing (GGSS, Orominieke, Port Harcourt) Interned at Fairway Offshore, Port Harcourt

The following quote is taken from the student exit survey forms at the end of the internship.

Employer feedback forms: At the end of the internships LEAP Africa administered a feedback form to employers to gather evidence of their experience in providing work placements and participating in school activities.

A key component of the fast-forward project was for selected students in participating schools to visit employer organisations to get hands-on experience in the workplace. The internships aimed to provide students with the opportunity to practise the employability skills learned in the classroom and to experience the work environment of prospective employers. The internship focused on exposing the students to soft skills rather that hard/technical skills. Some of the skills applied during the internships included communication, teamwork, leadership, critical thinking and problem solving.

The baseline survey administered to the students asked: 'What did you intend to gain from this internship?' The data showed that most of the students expected to learn and improve their interpersonal and communication skills, have a clearer career path and develop digital literacy through the use of computers. This can be attributed to a lack of adequate work-based activities in the classrooms and little or no exposure to the use of computers in their schools. The chart shows a significant number indicated that they intended to have a clearer career path. This was due to the fact that most of the students thought that they were going to be posted to companies related to their pre-conceived career choice.

SUMMARY OF STUDENT BASELINE AND EXIT SURVEY OF INTERNSHIP

Baseline: What students expected to gain

Exit: What students gained from the internship

Improve interpersonal and communication skills

Clearer career path Develop digitalliteracy

Learn professional etiquttes and workspace culture

Better problem solving and decision making skills

Better team work abilities

Improve leadership skills

Others Develop self confidence

Gain new relationships

18%

11% 11%

4% 5% 5%

Develop digitalliteracy







Improve digitalliteracy

Learned professional etiquttes

Experience in various

departmental functions

TeamworkOthers (problem solving,decision making)

Improved publicspeaking skills

18% 18%

12%

6% 5%

LAGOS STATE

08

13%


28%

28%

6% 6% 6%

Baseline: What students expect to gain


Acquire moreknowledge

Develop digitalliteracy

Learn professional etiquttes and workspace culture

Develop self awareness and confidence


Better teamwork abilities

Others patriotism, moral ethics, problem solving etc

Public speaking skills

19%14% 14%

11% 11% 10%

7%

9%

2% 3%

The baseline survey administered to the students asked: 'What did you intend to gain from this internship?' The data showed that most of the students expected to learn and improve their interpersonal and communication skills, develop digital literacy through the use of computers and acquire more knowledge on the organisations posted to.

Clearer career path

Exit: What students gained

Interpersonal andcommunication skills

Self awareness and confidence

Improved digitalliteracy

More knowledge about organisation

Problem solving, decision making

OthersExperience in various departmental functions career

Teamwork Public speaking skills

11% 10%8%

5% 5%

Leadership abilities

1%

Professional etiquettes and workplace culture

RIVERS STATE

The exit survey administered to the students asked 'What did you learn from this internship? and how has this internship affected your aspirations/dreams for your future?' These questions were asked to understand the scope of changes in students' skills, knowledge and attributes that can be ascribed to the internship. The data below shows that the internship met the most of the expectations of the students as 17 per cent of the 45 respondents sampled improved their interpersonal and communication skills and 16 per cent improved their digital literacy skills.

11%

09

16% 12%9%

6%

17%

Baseline: What students expected to gain

The baseline survey administered to the students asked: 'What did you intend to gain from this internship?' The data showed that 26 per cent of the students surveyed expected to gain knowledge to increase academic performance and future aspirations. Thirteen per cent of students surveyed indicated interest in learning how to solve complex tasks and problems. Other skills the students indicated to learn were: leadership skills, communication skills, professional etiquettes and workplace culture.

The exit survey administered to the students asked 'What did you learn from this internship? and how has this internship affected your aspirations/dreams for your future?' These questions were asked to understand the scope of changes in students' skills, knowledge and attributes that can be ascribed to the internship. The data below shows that the internship met most of the expectations of the students as 23 per cent of students surveyed showed that they gained ample knowledge about the internship where they had their placement. The students also learned interpersonal and communication skills, 14 per cent were engaged in problem-solving activities and most of them were exposed to digital literacy.

CROSS RIVER STATE

26%

13% 13%12% 9%

6%

Knowledge for better academic performanceand future career

Digital literacy

Professional etiqutte and workspace culture

Problem solving

Leadership skills

Interpersonal and communication skills

Organisational departments' functions

Gain work experience for future jobs

Self confidence

10%

10

Exit: What students gained

Knowledge about organisation

Self confidenceInterpersonal andcommunication skills

Digital literacyProblem solving

Public speaking skills

14% 9%8%

Leadership abilities

Professional etiquette

16% 16%10%

7%

23%

7% 7% 7%

A total of 55 organisations provided internship placements across the three focal states out of over 150 requests made to various organisations across sectors.

The reasons employers got involved with the Fast Forward Project include:

Overview

EMPLOYERS

the project was viewed as a good avenue to give back to society and make a positive impact on the lives of students.most of the organisations saw the programme as a good corporate social responsibilty project of students.strong reputation of the British Council.

classroom style of training the students on workplace skills and the activities of thesectors/organisation.Job shadowing of the company staff over a period of time.Rotation of students across various departments.

Administrative tasks e.g. typing of documents, support with maintaining company files.Front desk and customer service.

Excursion/visits to company work sites.

During the collective meeting, parents of selected students and child protection focal persons (teachers who accompanied the students to the internship) were briefed on the modalities of the internships.

Parents were encouraged to ensure their wards were properly dressed and prepared for work.

Text messages were also sent to parents a day before the start of the internship to prepare their wards for work.

The teachers had a pep talk with the children on the first day of the internship to ensure that they were on their best behaviour at the assigned companies.

LEAP Africa prepared the students for the experience by:

The students were involved in a range of activities during the internship such as;

LEAP Africa worked with the Human Resource (HR) departments of all the organisations to provide a two week internship for the students. During these two weeks, different approaches were employed to engage the students such as:

11

12

The perception of the students by the employers before the start of the internship was generally good. The survey shows that the major skills gap at the start of the internship was communication, although the majority of the students were initially shy, they eventually became confident and learned a lot which improved their confidence and communication skills.

From the findings, it can be established that Fast Forward project sits well with employers and many of them are ready to offer support to the students in their internship programme. Generally, the programme was acceptable to most employers. Some employers saw the internship as a way to give back to society.

What skills gaps did you notice in the students during the internship?

35%

19%16%

12% 10%

5% 3%

11%

10%

Communication Digital literacy Teamwork Confidence Presentation skills

Work etiquette

What changes did you notice in the interns between the start and the end of the internship?

35%25%

14%12% 8%

6%

10%

Communication Teamwork Confidence

Leadership

Personal officeEtiquette

Work etiquette

Leadership

FINDINGS

Thirty-one per cent of the organisations are willing to bear the logistical costs for the internship in the future, while 69 per cent said they would want to know the possible costs before committing. Employers also indicated that information about the internship should be provided as early as possible so that these costs can be incorporated into their yearly budget to provide adequate support during the internship.

In general, the majority of organisations had a good experience of the internship. Based on their experience, 97 per cent of the organisations indicated that they are willing to participate in the internship again.

INTEREST IN COST OF LOGISTICS

The summary of the feedback is:

Employers preferred a longer internship.

A follow-up system should be offered to the students after the internship.

There should be a compensation plan for the employers who participated.

Adequate notice should be given to companies ahead of the internship.

FINDINGS

13

MAYBE

YES

31%

69%

Students should be allowed to choose their area of interest.

Ninety-seven per cent of the employers said they were willing to participate again; while only three per cent said they were not willing to participate again.

AFTER THE INTERNSHIP, THE ORGANISATIONS WERE ASKED IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDENT INTERNSHIP AGAIN?

FINDINGS

14

YES

NO

3%

97%

15

LESSONS LEARNED

School staff and teachers

The project was generally a pleasant experience for the teachers:

It has made the teaching experience better i.e. improved teacher-student relationships and improved teaching techniques.

Helped the students with confidence and improved communication skills.

Teachers expected some sort of compensation.

Class sizes affected implementation of new teaching methods in classrooms.

Limited time in classroom for proper delivery of content with new teaching materials.

Exposed the teachers to workplace experience and environment.

It made the teachers understand theirteaching better.

Include the ToT employability skills content in the school curriculum:

More schools should be incorporated into the programme.

Liaise with the school board to make the teaching experience better by providing seats, educational and instructional materials.

Teaching and instructional aids would have been provided to facilitate the teaching of the core skills.

There should have been weekly meetings (or regular communication) of teachers in schools.

Students

Internships provided positive learning experiences such as goal setting, communications, leadership, customer service, choice of career etc.

Classroom experience improved. Now more interested in the class.

Increased self-confidence/ esteem.Learned new skills such as teamwork, leadership, time management, critical thinking.

Students expected to intern in places related to their stated future careers, but this was not the case.

Two-week internship period too short.

Expected more practical experience asopposed to lectures in the workplace.

Start Fast Forward clubs in schools to ease the process of Fast Forward beneficiaries cascading learnings to their colleagues.

The length of the internship should be increased.

Expand the coverage of internships to cover beyond SS1 students.

Adopt examinations as a criterion for internship.

Group Lessons Recommendations

The table below shows some of the feedback and recommendations from the lessons learned meetings held in the three focal states:

16

External advisory group & parents

The project is positive and commendable. Some parents feel they were well engaged. Some were impressed by the experience of their wards.

Parents do not have enough information/ briefing about the project irregular/ inconsistent communication with EAG members.

Two weeks’ internship period too short to really impact students.

Concerned with sustainability of project.

Parents might be able to take on more in terms of participation of students in internships, but they need to be carried along.

The British Council to engage state governments and employers to sustain project in terms of funding.

Monitor progress of current Fast Forward beneficiaries.

Engage in continuous training of teachers (not limited to SS1). Provide incentives for Fast Forward trained teachers to cascade to others.

Advocate for government to bring back the (holiday) retraining sessions (with Fast Forward content).

Reorientation of teacher attitudes and perceptions.

Develop a competency framework for the students’ internship (a broad measuring standard for 21-century skills for secondary school students).

Embed internship into secondary schools’ curriculum.

Invite government stakeholders to the room (share monitoring, evaluation and learning data). Align with their own priorities e.g. how does FF improve learning outcome?

Include volunteering in students’ training. Internships are not the only way to develop work experience.

Engage with NBTE, NCCE, NUC and NERDC. Involve them in curriculum development discussions (especially teacher training).

LESSONS LEARNEDGroup Lessons Recommendations

17

Employers

Acknowledged that the internship programme was interesting and rewarding.

Child Protection Policy Training enlightening and useful.

Interesting engagement with students.

Exposed students to processes, systems, code of conduct via orientation exercises which eased transition to the workplace.

Students exit internships with higher confidence levels, presentation/ communication skills, computer skills (i.e. Microsoft Word, Excel etc.).

Low confidence, poor communication skills of student interns on arrival at the workplace.

Low technological /computer skills of students.

Cultural clash between the workplace environment and the school environment.

Two-week internship period too short to change students’ behaviour.

Concerned with how lessons from the internship will be sustained in the classroom, without internet access/ computer training, mentorship etc.

Considered sustainability, monitoring and evaluation very important for future iterations of the project.

More partnerships with organisations viz NECA, MAN etc. to enable more employers to participate.

Consider possible incentives for employers to participate, including CSR acknowledgements.

Widen scope of employers to small and medium-scale employers.

Consider scaling FF at national level like NYSC.

Train employers to enable them deliver futureiterations of the project on their own.

Develop manual for employers to provide workplace internships and mentorship to students.

Make the internship period longer.

Match students’ interests and career goals with internship placements.

LESSONS LEARNED

Group Lessons Recommendations

18

The Fast Forward Project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation and the British Council, is an action research pilot project testing out a model for teaching employability skills and providing work-based learning opportunities to senior secondary school students to better prepare them for work. The pilot project started in July 2016 and ran up until September 2017.

300 1,000TEACHERS

LagosRivers Cross River

The action research project was implemented in three focal states by the British Council with the support of delivery partner, LEAP Africa.

and administrators were trained on new methodologies for teaching employability and work-readiness skills

senior secondary school (SSS) students from marginalised communities experienced innovative teaching practice and work-based learning. These students were drawn from:

Government secondary schools

Selected students spent two weeks in employer organisations for workplace internships

which were co-educational and single sex schoolsTo support partnerships between

schools, students and employers.

Determine project's achievements and progress towards set goals and objectives.

To deliver work-based learning and/or simulations in schools involving the employers.

Introduce new teaching methodologies in schools based on the needs of the employers, and using published materials designed to prepare students for work

FOCAL STATES

INTERVENTION OBJECTIVES

EVALUATION OBJECTIVES

QUICK FACTS

Highlight best practices that could be sustained, as well as information to assess the project’s impact where possible.Highlight best practices and lessons learned that would provide a basis for scale up or review of approach in subsequent interventions.

TWOWEEKS

19

A cadre of teachers and administrators in schools would have been trained and would have gained new capabilities in the use of innovation in their classrooms to deliver employability skills and support students to maximise the benefits from their work-based learning experience.

A range of employers in three states would have gained experience in providing constructive work placements and participating in school-based activities that adequately prepare young people for the future world of work.

Through the project, stakeholder representative groups (employers, educators and relevant government parastatals at both state and federal level) would have some evidence that shows educational innovations can support to be more work-ready.

Teachers and administrators

Students would have gained new skills and work experience that will increase their chances for success in post-secondary school and the future workplace.

Private sector

Public sector

Stakeholders Outcomes

School

Fast Forward project expected outcomes

20

MORE QUICK FACTS

FOUR MONTHS

STUDENTSWERE EXCITED

TEACHERS CASCADED

TO STUDENTSSKILLS

FEEDBACKPOSITIVE

MIXED FEELINGSEMPLOYERS HAVE

Methodology of the evaluation

Data collected from respondents

Analytic inferences from the data collected Recommendations for the Fast Forward project stakeholders

An extensive Child Protection training by British Council was carried out across all three states for all primary data collectors.

162

Findings from the Fast Forward project stakeholders’ responses suggest that the Project is judged positively by stakeholders, with definite expectations for the sustainability and scale of the project’s impact.

Students expressed their excitement for the exposure to real life workplace environment as well as the new practices introduced by their teachers in the classroom. Although, they would prefer for the internship to last longer.

Employers appreciate the opportunity provided by the Fast Forward project to contribute to improving the quality of education for secondary school students by offering internships placements for work-based learning. They are, however, undecided about their continued involvement in work-based learning for secondary school students. Their most significant reservation is the sustainability of the model. Also, employers are unsure of the government’s commitment to supporting this model.

This evaluation report shows that teachers were able to cascade the skills to their students with high levels of success as opposed to cascading to other teachers.

The evaluation report covers:

EVALUATION OUTCOMES

i.e. students, teachers and school administrators in ten schools and 69 non-school respondents including employers, parents and external advisory group members

in-school respondents

The evaluation spanned a period of

from October 2017 to January 2018

21

Data collection was carried out in two stages:

1. Desk study (i.e. document review) was conducted via an analysis of the following relevant project documents:

Fast Forward Pilot NarrativeFast Forward Annual report to MacArthur FoundationUpdate to LEAP Africa on the initial phase of the projectLEAP Africa Implementation Plan for the Fast Forward ProjectQuarterly Reports from LEAP Africa to BC (Q1 and Q2, 2017)LEAP Africa M&E ToolsFast Forward Child Protection PolicyFast Forward Students’ ManualFast Forward Teachers’ Training Manual

2. Primary data collection was conducted through key informant interviews (KII) and focus group discussions (FGD) with designated stakeholders.

Data collection

267

162

Project Non-school School

Sampling – data was collected in the three states of project implementation from a total of 231 respondents. The sampling methods for selecting respondents were random and purposive.

Data collection respondents

Overview evaluation methodology

22

48

4850

8 8

Students with internships

Students without internships

Vice-principals/ Principals

Counsellors

Teachers

Breakdown of school-level respondents

23

Data analysis was carried out by manual text analysis and prioritisation of most significant/most essential aspects of all the different data. The analysis attempted to quantify the information provided where possible and drew inferences from the data provided. A judgement framework was designed to align the assessment of the responses between the evaluation team members. A four-point rating system (Good, Satisfactory, Moderate, and Poor) was used to judge respondents’ perceptions of the project components, and clear descriptions per component were developed to guide the assessment.

During the evaluation period, British Council and LEAP Africa organised and hosted learning events in the three states of implementation: Lagos, Rivers and Cross River. The learning events were designed to share project updates with project stakeholders, obtain their feedback based on their experience with the project, as well as recognise the contributions of schools and employers to the project via award presentation ceremonies.

The evaluation team recognised that involvement of minors in research could pose some risk to them. We ensured that this evaluation exercise posed minimal risk to the students by not increasing their exposure more than necessary. Intrusive methods of data collection such as in-depth interviews which can cause some discomfort to children were not used.

In compliance with the British Council’s Child Protection Policy and Child Protection Code of Conduct, all primary data collectors completed the British Council Child Protection online course prior to any contact with minors for this evaluation exercise.

Data Analysis

Validation workshop

Ethical and safety considerations

OUTCOME 1: STUDENTS

Student beneficiaries of the Fast Forward project are from a selected sample of single sex and co-education schools in the implementation states; Lagos, Rivers and Cross River.

Four out of nine groups of students who attended the internships were excited about their experience while the other five groups were more modest in their expressions. This is because all students had high expectations of their internship placements, but not all their expectations were met.

While many students' expectations were not met because their future ambition did not correlate with internship placements and the idea of an internship being an excursion, some students were placed in organisations related to their future ambition.

Students experience with internships

22%Satisfactory

56%Modest

22%Good

Skills assimilation by students

Teamwork Criticalthinking

Selflearning

Communication ValuesLeadershipPresentation

Lagos Port Harcourt Calabar

Problemsolving

00.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.54

24

13%Willing to accept interns on condition

2%Not certain85%

Willing to accept interns

Employers’ willingness to continue to accept interns

2%Nothing in particular

10%Reputation of the British Council

44%Corporate social responsibility purpose

44%Adding value to students

Employers' motivation to join the Fast Forward Project

OUTCOME 2: EMPLOYERS

A total of 16 employer organisations were sampled during data collection drawn from a wide range of industries including public sector across the three states. Employers’ outcomes were evaluated using the following indicators; i) Motivation to participate in the project ii) Experience with internships and student-interns iii) Interest in continuing internships iv) Confidence in work-based learning model and v) Co-operation with schools.

Forty-four per cent saw the project as a means to make a positive impact in the lives of students through investing in their future.

Eighty-five per cent of the organisations are willing to take interns from the programme in future. However, 13 per cent said that it would depend on whether it was convenient to their organisations and operations.

25

38%Not certain

62%Willing

Employers’ willingness to offer incentive

Sixty-two percent of the employers responded that they are willing to pay stipends or provide lunch for the interns. Thirty-eight per cent said this level of support is dependent on the approval of senior management in the organisation.

Employers' confidence in the work-based learning model

Sixty per cent of the employers sampled are of the opinion that the work-based learning model is an effective way of delivering work readiness. While 30 per cent are cautiously optimistic about the Fast Forward work-based learning model.

26

60%Confident about the model Cautiously optimistic

about the model

30%

Not confident about the model

3%7%

Indifferent about the model

27

Teamwork

Communication

Leadership

Moral ethics

Values

Critical thinking andproblem solving

Vision and goal setting

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3

School administrators Teachers

Skills assimilation by teachers and school administrators

The desired outcome for teachers and school administrators (i.e. school guidance counsellors and vice-principals, academics) is that they learn how to use innovations in their classrooms to deliver employability skills and support students to maximise the benefits from their work-based learning experience. Consequently, the evaluation focused on what they said they had learned and were able to apply.

Attendance in LEAP Africa Employability Skills Training of the Trainers (ToT) All of the teachers sampled participated in the LEAP Africa Training of the Trainers (ToT) programme across the three states.

94%of school administrators sampled (i.e. guidance counsellors and vice-principals) attended the ToT hosted by LEAP Africa and were able to provide feedback. However this is becuase at the point of data collection, approximately six per cent of vice-principals and teachers had retired out of the system.

OUTCOME 3: TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS

ONLY

28

OUTCOME 3: TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS

Teachers and administrators reported emphatically of positive changes in students’ attitudes and behaviours, with a few notable exceptions. Teachers and administrators’ perception of changes in student behaviour and attitudes are summarised below:

Increased confidence.Improved academic performance.Better behaviour (i.e. punctuality, respect).Improved dressing and personal hygiene.Leadership skills (learned to take initiative).Improved attitude to learning – shown by increased attention to note-taking in class and increased interest in finishing secondary school.

Generally, teachers’ perception of the process used to select students for the internships ranged from Poor to Satisfactory. When asked to make recommendations to improve the method of selecting students for internship placements, teachers had the following recommendations:

Earlier and increased parental involvement, in order to obtain consent earlierConsider class specialisations (i.e. arts, commerce and science) in internship placementsDiscard the essay writing to accommodate students who have poor writing skillsInvolve teachers, particularly class teachers in selection processPrepare students for essay writing ahead of submissionDiscard entire selection process and employ a batch-rotation method for internship placements so all students have an opportunity to participate in internships

Only 19 per cent of teachers surveyed reported cascading the skills and lessons learned from the ToT formally and intentionally. Twenty-five per cent of school administrators reported that they were able to facilitate deliberate sessions with other teaching staff to share skills and learnings from the ToT session.

Teachers/administrators' perceptions of change in students’ attitude

Teachers/administrators recommendations for Fast Forward internship model

Teachers/administrators' cascade of training

Rivers0

0.51

1.52

2.53

3.5

Lagos Cross River

Teachers Administrators

Insights generated on effectiveness of Fast Forward model

For students who participated in the internships, the Fast Forward internship was a motivating experience. The students indicate that they are more motivated to learn and have a better idea of how they can achieve their career objectives. Also, the students state that they have learned new skills from the new activities that were introduced in the classroom. The internship selection via essay writing showed mixed results: for some students, it limited participation in the internships.

Most employers joined the project as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts. The employers involved are generally positive about their experience with the students, although some employers have indicated that students’ skills are not adequate for the workplace. The employers explain that while they have observed changes in the behaviour of the students for the duration of the internship, the impact of the students on their organisations was small. The majority of employers are interested in continuing to offer placements for secondary school students, but they would like to see improvements in the clarity of arrangements and expectations from the programme.

The teachers and administrators are positive about the content of the training they received. It motivated them to improve their teaching of employability skills and adopt more student-centred teaching methods. The school system mostly assisted the teachers to join the activities of the project, e.g. their schedule was adjusted to accommodate the training period. However, teachers indicated that they expected regular training, instructional materials and other incentives to enable them to better support the students.

An important outcome of the Fast Forward action research project was generating evidence and learning on the effectiveness of the model for replication in full or in part and for scale up. The evaluation therefore sought to study the effectiveness of the Fast Forward internship model in addition to the general experience of the students, employers and teachers with the project. This section of the report therefore takes a more in-depth look at the experiences of the different stakeholders with the pilot and their preferences for future iterations of the project.

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Effectiveness of the model

This evaluation concludes that the action research project, Fast Forward does indeed show that employability and work-readiness skills can be taught to secondary school students in the classroom via innovative teaching practices and work-based learning experiences. It also shows that students' behaviour and attitudes to learning and continued education can be influenced by the introduction of employability skills via innovative teaching practices.

The project further shows that exposing teachers to better teaching practices can improve teacher-student engagement, thus improving the teaching and learning experience for students and teachers. The summary evaluation score for the Fast Forward project is therefore presented in the figure below. The project is scored using the five outcomes as presented in the Evaluation Framework and the rating system.

CONCLUSION

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Preferred changes to the model

Suggestions brought forward by the employers include the potential of doing full day internships, instead of 09.00 - 13.00 and it having more skills focus.

Most of the areas for improvement for the model focused on practical aspects:

Transportation to the internship locations. Lunch arrangements for the students during internships. Practical arrangements for the teacher training. Organising the means of selection. Parental consent placing students in organisations relevant to their career interest

Teachers and administrators'

outcome

Insights generated on model

effectivenesss

Project delivery Overall project score

Students' outcome

Modest Modest Modest Modest

Satisfactory Satisfactory

Employers' outcome

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Recommendations by the evaluator to the Fast Forward project implementation team:

Consolidated implementation plans: for a project with multiple components, having a consolidated delivery plan for all implementing partners is very critical to effective and efficient project implementation. Specifically, the British Council and LEAP Africa need to have a consolidated work plan with project components well defined, and roles and responsibilities clearly delineated.

Comprehensive monitoring framework: an efficient result-based monitoring system is essential to the success of any project, particularly for generating evidence on what worked and learnings on what did not.

Stakeholder engagement: the Fast Forward project is a unique example of public-private partnerships in the education sector in Nigeria. Consequently, how these cross-sectoral relationships are managed going forward have a bearing on support for the future of the Fast Forward model.

The recommendations listed below highlight the bigger issues and the more persistent recommendations for different stakeholders:

School teachers should be trained to develop the affective (emotional intelligence) skills of students in addition to their cognitive skills.

Strengthen guidance and counselling at school level so they can instill appropriate life skills and behaviours in students and support their career selection process.

Develop policies and guidance for child protection in schools.

Engage with schools and students directly to support development of work-readiness skills.

Engage in public-private partnerships with state governments that support scale up of innovative models such as the Fast Forward model for work based learning and employability.

Advocate for curriculum review and development by engaging with the Federal Ministry of Education (FME), the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Commission (NERDC) etc

Public sector

Private sector

Stakeholder Recommendations

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Develop guidance for private and public-sector employers to deliver future iterations of the Fast Forward project and disseminate accordingly.

Support employers and public sector stakeholders to deliver future iterations of the Fast Forward model.

Seek to influence the high-level education policymaking platform, the National Council on Education (NCE) which includes state Ministries of Education as well as the Federal Ministry of Education, with learnings from the Fast Forward project.

Facilitate the development of public-private partnerships in education.

Non-state sector (e.g. British Council, LEAP Africa etc.)

Stakeholder Recommendations

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ABOUT LEAP AFRICA

Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa established in 2002, is a non-profit committed to developing dynamic innovative and principled African leaders. At LEAP, we recognise that raising leaders is critical to nation building and wealth creation. Over the years, LEAP has inspired and equipped youth, business owners and social entrepreneurs to lead ethically while implementing initiatives that transform their communities and organisations for the better; sustaining livelihoods and contributing to national development. LEAP achieves this through its training programmes, publications and most recently eLearning.

Our curricula have been published as action-oriented guides to create positive and lasting change in individuals, organisations and communities. To date, LEAP has 11 books on topics such as ethics, governance, talent management, succession planning and corporate culture. Through the support of funders and implementing partners, LEAP has worked in 26 states across Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory. To date, it has reached about 45,000 individuals through its core programmes. Its youth beneficiaries have initiated over 1,000 change projects in their communities.

ABOUT THE EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP (TEP) CENTRE

The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre is a pioneer in the emerging field of education partnership, specialising in research, design, implementation, support and evaluation of education programmes, projects and initiatives across the public, private and non-profit sectors.

At TEP Centre, we believe that education is both a public and private concern and there are roles for each sector in education planning, management and funding. Well-designed partnerships not only have the ability to leverage the strengths of each sector, but also to provide equitable access to functional and stimulating education to teeming masses of Africans.

TEP Centre offers a range of technical services including:

Quantitative and qualitative research, including large-scale surveysMonitoring and evaluationStrategic planning and advisory including scaling up supportPolicy planning and road-mapping Programme design and adaptationProject managementEducation event managementTraining and capacity development

TEP Centre has offered support to programmes funded, assisted or managed by the Department for International Development (DfID) (UKAID), USAID, World Bank, MacArthur Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Misean Cara (Irish Aid), British Council, Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Results for Development Institute (R4D), Dalberg Global Development Advisors, the Lagos State Government, MDF Netherlands and Corona Schools Trust Council.

MDF West Africa Limited has been operational in Ghana since 2009 and now serves a multinational clientele. MDF WA is specialised in project management and has approximately ten projects running simultaneously at each given moment. With a core staff of 15 professionals supported by a network of 25 associate national, regional and international consultants, all of whom have gone through MDF’s project management and capacity development training, the company has significant experience in the West African sub-region. Although based in Ghana, MDF West Africa Ltd serves clients from all over the world who need support in the West African Region. We aim to be a preferred provider and partner by delivering outstanding services, including:

Project, programme and operational management: result-based management (RBM) and project cycle management (PCM), project planning and proposal writing, scheduling and control, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), financial management, etc.

Personal, professional competence, focusing on management of human relations: management and leadership skills, human resources management (HRM) and performance management, coaching, training and facilitation skills, communication and conflict management, time and email management, teamwork and team building.

Learning organisations development and strategic steering: institutional and organisation analysis and development (IDOS/OAD), change management, advisory skills.

Networks and partnerships: value-chain development (VCD), advocacy and policy Influencing (API), CSR.

Our expertise in training assignments includes entrepreneurship, management, strategic planning and review; institutional, sector and organisational assessment; capacity assessment and organisational development planning; project design and formulation; evaluations of projects and programmes; project management; design of monitoring schemes; advocacy and influencing policy.

MDF West Africa Ltd (MDF WA) is a member of a global network of MDF Training & Consultancy BV (Ede, The Netherlands). As part of the MDF global Network, we have access to backstopping services from any of our regional offices and from the head office based in the Netherlands.

The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks to build a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including over-incarceration, global climate change, nuclear risk, and significantly increasing financial capital for the social sector. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsible and responsive democracy; the strength and vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago.

In Nigeria, MacArthur is committed to strengthening intellectual, scientific, and civil society communities as a means of helping to facilitate the consolidation of democracy and encouraging economic development.

MacArthur is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. Organisations supported by the Foundation work in about 50 countries. In addition to Chicago, MacArthur has offices in India, Mexico, and Nigeria. For more information, please visit: https://www.macfound.org/tags/nigeria/

ABOUT THE BRITISH COUNCIL

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 65 million people directly and 731 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

The British Council has been in Nigeria since 1943. We currently operate from offices in Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt and continue to engage in cultural relations work, building lasting connections between the people of the UK and the people of Nigeria.

For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org.ng

ABOUT MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

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ABOUT LEAP AFRICA
























ABOUT LEAP AFRICA
















ABOUT MDF WEST AFRICA

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C

Employers that participated in internships

The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.

© British Council 2018

Documents

FAST FORWARD PROJECT REPORT...To test the relevance of training materials to teachers, employers and stakeholders. To gather feedback and review the Fast Forward manual. To gather