Thirty (30) young trained in Digital Marketing by Node Eight

On August 1, 2022, we opened our doors to thirty (30) young people living in Ho, Volta region of Ghana to be trained in Digital Marketing. The Pre-MEST Digital Marketing program is a skills training program designed by MEST Africa in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation to provide free training and work experience opportunities to unemployed and underemployed youth in Ghana, to help them launch careers in the digital marketing space.

The program is a 12-week program. The Trainees underwent training at the Hub for the first eight weeks. During the training, all trainees acquired knowledge of the marketing mix, otherwise known as the seven principles of marketing which includes Product, Place, Price, Promotion, Physical evidence, People, and Process. They also learned how to properly mix the 7 Ps to get prospects interested in the products and services a company offers – converting them into loyal customers.

In addition, trainees gained knowledge in User Research (this includes primary research, secondary research, empathy, user personas, and journey maps), Data analysis (Web and social media analytics), Marketing funnel, Lead generation, and more. All trainees have become proficient in these areas, understanding the needs of their prospects and how to properly engage potential customers.

Design is an important part of marketing and should not be excluded as it helps businesses gain high visibility, stand out from competitors, and convert prospects into loyal customers.  This informs our curriculum content. All trainees learned how to use digital tools to come up with good designs that communicate the branding of a company. 

Our trainees were further introduced to using social media marketing tools (Buffer, Buzzsumo, and more), Email marketing tools (Mailchimp- to Send emails to targeted audiences and re-engage with subscribers) Google Optimize and Google analytics; which gives them valuable insights and data needed to better a company’s all-round performance, Graphic creation tools (Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator), Moz Pro, SEM Rush, (Keyword research and optimization) and more. 

Technical skills may get you the job, but soft skills can make or break your career.

Dr. Akhilesh Kumar Dwivedi

Talent In Africa understands that for employees to use their technical skills and knowledge effectively, they must also maintain a positive attitude, be able to communicate their ideas, and work well with others and as part of a team. Talent In Africa provided a session to help trainees understand the importance of these qualities and apply them during the internship.

All trainees worked in groups of three and were encouraged to come up with thoughts, ideas, and creative solutions to case studies. A demo day was set at the end of the training period, where each group would present their findings to the other trainees, as well as to the MEST Africa team. The groups were given very positive feedback, and the audience was left impressed with how high-quality the presentations were.

Post-Training

We placed the trainees with Companies and Startups that had Digital Marketing job openings to gain work experience and apply the knowledge and skills they had acquired during the training. The trainees that are not retained at the end of their internship will be signed up on a job portal to give them access to job opportunities. The Hub will also provide the trainees who would like to venture into a freelancing workspace. This partnership between Node Eight & MEST aligns with Hub’s mission to bridge the digital talent gap in the African technology ecosystem and build a pipeline of digital talents. 

Our commitment to building dreams

We are still committed to working with our partners to bridge the digital talent gap and help more youths unlock the benefits of the digital economy. We believe that by working together, we can make a real difference in providing opportunities for young people to develop the skills they need to succeed in the digital age. We want to be the stage that ignites the spirit of digital entrepreneurship and skills development. With our vast experience and resources, we are confident that we can provide the best possible support for young entrepreneurs. Read more about what we do.