To advance Oracle’s commitment to education, which spans more than 25 years, Oracle Academy and Oracle Volunteers collaborated to organize a mentorship session titled ‘Career Mentorship Talk and Fireside Chat with Oracle’s SVP’ with Cherian Varghesee, Senior Vice President for Technology License, Middle East and Africa, Oracle.
The event was organized in partnership with iLABAfrica and held at Strathmore University with over 200 participants in attendance, including students from five other higher institutions of learning: Technical University of Kenya, Zetech University, Institute of Advance Technology, University of Nairobi, and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
In his speech, Cherian urged the participants to engage in continuous lifelong learning and improvement while taking advantage of the vast exposure available to young people today through social media. The highlight of the mentorship session was the #createyourownboardroom initiative.
He went on to further explain the importance of networking with the right individuals dedicated to your personal and professional growth, all while choosing the right constituents for your boardroom such as your teachers, mentors, and parents. He encouraged the students to go forth, be bold and curious, and strive to create their own boardrooms.
Cherian also highlighted examples of how students interact with Oracle technologies in their day-to-day activities and how Oracle Academy provides access to the latest tools and technologies, such as Oracle Database and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, to help increase student success and develop career-ready skills in the era of cloud, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, the Internet of Things, and beyond.
The fireside chat involved a Q&A session with discussions ranging from entrepreneurship and risk-taking to artificial intelligence, customer engagement, career development, networking, and job preparation resources. Cherian ended the discussion by stressing the importance of incorporating reading in our daily routines and recommended dedicating 30 minutes daily to reading to achieve success.
The event was attended by representatives from Oracle and Strathmore University:
- Cherian Varghese – Senior Vice-President for Technology License, Middle East and Africa, Oracle
- David Bunei – Kenya Country Director, Oracle
- Janet Kamau – Marketing Director, Africa, Oracle
- Joy Muchina – Business Operations Analyst, Oracle
- Lorna Juma – Oracle Academy Program Manager
- Dr. Edward Mungai – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Planning and Development, Strathmore University
- Dr. Joseph Sevilla – iLABAfrica Director, Strathmore University
- Lorna Mutegi – Industry Relations and Executive Education, Strathmore University
- Lyflone Omwenga – Industry Relations Coordinator, Strathmore University
Dr. Mungai welcomed the guests and encouraged students to seek mentorship from industry professionals and alumni. He emphasized the importance of students seizing opportunities presented to them while utilizing resources available to grow. He stressed that there is no limit to what they can achieve.
David Bunei discussed current trends such as advancements in medicine, gene editing, and technologies like Chat GPT. He encouraged curiosity and being inquisitive about the opportunities availed to students. In his speech, he also talked about the Oracle Center of Excellence, which has a capacity of more than 30 desktop computers and provides a platform for a variety of Oracle Academy training workshops and activities for university faculty and students, high school teachers and students. It is a state-of-the-art computer lab that runs courses focused on Java and Oracle databases. He concluded by commending Strathmore University for exposing students to various opportunities and mentorship sessions.
Janet Kamau underlined the importance of mentorship, stating that strategic mentorship provides a sounding board for students and helps them in making important career decisions and setting essential, professional goals. A mentor is a listening partner with whom to communicate and exchange views, she said.
Dr. Sevilla spoke on the strategic collaboration between Oracle and Strathmore University. He commended Oracle for offering leading products such as Oracle Autonomous Database and availing its technologies to educators and students at no cost through Oracle Academy. He also highlighted some on the initiatives that iLABAfrica have collaborated on with Oracle Academy, such as training-of-trainers, and bootcamps and hackathons covering Oracle APEX, Oracle Primavera P6, Internet of Things, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.
Lorna Juma highlighted the opportunities and resources available to students through Oracle Academy. First, she explained that key job opportunities are currently available to students who have recently graduated or will be near graduation through Oracle Academy and Generation Oracle (GenO), which is Oracle’s new career development initiative. These opportunities also can be viewed and accessed by members through the Oracle Academy Member Hub.
The Oracle Academy Career Center is accessed through the Member Hub and offers free career-based learning content modules from Oracle University, Oracle Learning Library, and Oracle developer teams to support students in exploring and connecting academic curricula with professional training and career pathways, including the option to explore Oracle professional certifications. These include the OCI Foundations Associate professional certification and always-free preparation resources.
By working globally with educators at top universities and colleges and technical schools, Oracle Academy is helping the next generation of technology innovators, disruptors, and leaders hone their knowledge and attain hands-on practice in digital skills that help launch them toward fulfilling careers.