Training Manager at Bridge International Academies

The Bridge Approach

Education is in crisis in many countries around the world. It is estimated that 264 million children and young people are out of school, and 330 million children are in school but not learning. In addition, an extra 69 million teachers are needed to achieve the 2030 UN education goals.

Many education systems are plagued with inadequate materials and poor management systems, all leading to chronic teacher absenteeism and a lack of learning. Education reform is challenging but it is urgently required if we are to prevent another generation of children missing out. So, we work in partnership with governments, NGOs and non-state actors to address the huge education imbalance between what is available and what is needed right now — we work to bridge the gap.

We believe parents have the right to choose a school for their children and we enable families to enjoy seeing their children learn, improve and flourish at Bridge schools. We locate our schools in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world. Families in our communities can be earning just $1.90 per person a day; a level the World Bank notes is at extreme poverty. By putting learning at the centre of all we do, Bridge has become an extremely popular choice for underserved families and low-income communities.

With plans to enroll ten million students ten years from now, Bridge offers a tremendous opportunity to grow with one of the world’s most exciting and ambitious social enterprises, with leadership roles available across a number of competencies and geographies.

[Academics/Academics]

Roughly 2.7 billion people live on less than $2/day. In their communities, there is a huge gap between the education offered and the needs of the population. Too often the schools available to them fail. The quality offered is poor, teachers are unresponsive and occasionally abusive, and fees are expensive. Even “free” government schools can cost anywhere between $2 and $12 per month after all of the additional fees (some sanctioned, some not) are added up. 55% of families end up choosing private schools instead, but then fear for the stability and sustainability of their choice as many schools close after only a few years of service. Both the government schools and the private schools tend to lack well-conceived curriculum, student achievement data, and the capacity to react to that data. 

Families are actively searching for a better academic alternative. 

Enter Bridge International Academies. As of January 2018, Bridge is operating more than 63 academies, serving roughly 12,000 pupils in Nigeria.

Bridge utilizes a scripted-learning education methodology coupled with 'big data' (all teachers have tablets for instruction, assessment, and data-gathering) that allows us to make curriculum a little better every day.

With plans to enroll ten million students ten years from now, Bridge International Academies offers a tremendous opportunity to grow with one of the world’s most exciting, ambitious, and socially conscious companies, with leadership roles available across a number of competencies and geographies.

 What You Will Do:

• Understanding the needs of Nigerian teacher trainees and providing thorough feedback to the content team and work with them to contextualize our global training content to Nigeria.
• Hiring and training our training associates who will execute the teacher - training program.
• Developing a facilitator - training program and materials including videos, manuals, professional development sessions etc. and videos.
• Training, coaching and supporting to new facilitators as they begin new roles.
• Observing and appraising facilitators according to the Bridge Training criteria for presentation skills and group management.
• Overseeing the execution of each training to ensure that all sessions and activities are executed as planned.
• Working closely with the administration, HR, technology and other departments to ensure that the training runs smoothly and that all trainee needs are met.
• Working closely with the operations teams to understand hiring needs and implementing the selection process at training to make hiring decisions.
• Documenting and addressing all trainee concerns and questions.
• Evaluating training and creating a detailed report at the conclusion of each training.
• Giving suggestions, ideas and feedback with an aim to improve the training program
• Providing on- going training for serving teachers.

 Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• Minimum of two years of teaching experience with proven track record of achieving high academic outcomes with pupils.
• Minimum of three years of experience in teacher training or school leadership.
• Management and Supervisory Experience is Significant.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint required.

You Are Also:

• Proactive – You don’t always need supervision and you are a self-starter. Your personal drive to succeed and deliver keeps you working when you may not have a supervisor with you.
• A detailed doer - You have a track record of getting things done.  You’re organized and responsive.  You take ownership of every idea you touch and execute it to a fine level of detail, setting targets, engaging others, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.  You can multi-task dozens of such projects at once and never lose sight of the details.  Likely, you have some experience in a start-up or other rapid-growth company. 
• A networking mastermind- You excel at meeting new people and turning them into advocates.  You communicate in a clear, conscientious, and effective way in both written and oral speech.  You can influence strangers in the course of a single conversation.  Allies and colleagues will go to bat for your ideas. 
• A creative problem-solver- Growing any business from scratch comes with massive and constant challenges.  On top of that, Bridge works in volatile, low-resource communities and runs on fees averaging around $7 a month per pupil.  You need to be flexible and ready to get everything done effectively, quickly, and affordably with the materials at hand.  
• A customer advocate- Our customers – these families living on less than $2 a day per person – never leave your mind.  You know them, get them, have shared a meal with them (or would be happy to in the future).  You would never shrink back from shaking a parent’s hand or picking up a crying child, no matter what the person was wearing or looked like.  Every decision you make considers their customer benefit, experience, and value.
• A malleable learner -You believe you can always do better.  You welcome constructive criticism and provide it freely to others.  You know you only get better tomorrow when others point out where you’ve missed things or failed today.