WAVE
Model & Strategy
West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) is a vertically-integrated vocational training platform. WAVE seeks to empower millions of West African youth with industry-relevant employment skills that transform their mindsets and access to employment opportunities that enhance their social mobility, whilst broadening employer access to the best-suited young talent for their job opportunities.
Using the “hire for attitude, train for skill” model, WAVE provides self-motivated youth with skills employers want, teaches them how to stand out professionally by inculcating a mindset of continuous improvement and places them in paid technical apprenticeships in high-growth industries to “earn while they learn”.
Misan Rewane is CEO and co-founder of West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE). Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Misan is no stranger to the challenges of education and social mobility in West Africa. When her parents, unable to ignore the education system’s breakdown, sent her to the U.S. for college, Misan resolved to play a role in transforming the region’s education system so that one day she would have the option to send her own children to local schools. After earning her Economics degree from Stanford University, she worked in management consulting with The Monitor Group in New York and London on projects in both the private and public sectors.
Molade Adeniyi has over 12 years of experience in the health industry where she developed expertise in business development. Molade studied Pharmacy at King’s College London and has completed the Senior Management Program at Lagos Business School and holds a post-graduate diploma in Pharmacy Practice with a specialization in Strategic Management and Marketing.
IMPACT
Since WAVE’s launch in 2013, over 3,200 disadvantaged youth have graduated across its 4 academies. Over 5,000 university graduates have been trained on employability skills via WAVE’s partnership with state governments.
Today, 60% of WAVE graduates work in stable full-time service sector jobs, transforming their income from an average of $73 to $164 per month.
By 2023, WAVE aims to train over 100,000 youth in our academies and through replication partners, with at least 50% of graduates being able to double their income. In 2020, they will scale their impact across and beyond Nigeria, training 1,500 youth in their academies and 8,000 through replicators.
