Latest news with #Henley
Daily Maverick
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
From security guard to manager: How one man's rise shows the power of education to liberate potential
Future success is linked to education. But with only four out of every 100 children who start school going on to get a degree within six years of matric, we urgently need new approaches to education and skills development in South Africa and Henley Business School Africa and its corporate partners are leading the way. Joseph Tsolo's life-altering transition from security guard to junior manager is a masterclass in perseverance and dreaming big. A beneficiary of a workplace skills development initiative, Tsolo's ebullient rise through the ranks also showcases exactly why South African corporates need to embrace more practical and effective ways to unleash the country's talent. 'Recognising my potential, my manager suggested that I enrich my practical experience by studying at a business school,' says Tsolo. 'I eagerly embarked on a journey of continuous learning, starting with a Higher Certificate in Management Practice (HCMP) and, a year later, enrolled on the diploma-level Advanced Certificate in Management Practice (ACMP). Graduating with my ACMP is a milestone that fills me with immense pride, as I was the first in my family to graduate with a diploma.' When one plus one adds up to thousands of capable managers Tsolo's is a story that would not have been possible without a very special partnership between his employer, Hollard Insurance, and Henley Business School Africa. Henley is a global business school, part of the University of Reading, with campuses in the UK, Europe – and Johannesburg – and it is the only international business school in South Africa that has developed a full ladder of accredited programmes (from NQF 5 up to NQF 8) that, while open to individual learners for 'open enrolment', can also be customised by clients like Hollard to make sure they are speaking directly to the needs of that organisation. 'This means that ambitious young South Africans like Tsolo, who have heaps of practical experience, natural talent, and enthusiasm but lack a formal qualification perhaps because they didn't have funds to study or had to get a job to support their families or didn't get a good enough matric to study further, have a second shot at getting the qualifications they need to get ahead,' says Jon Foster-Pedley, dean and director of Henley Business School Africa. Unleashing learning on a massive scale without losing the personal touch In South Africa, where there is already a backlog of education and dearth of opportunities, workplace learning on a massive scale, without losing the personal touch holds the key to unleashing the country's talent, believes Foster-Pedley. ' Research by the University of Stellenbosch's Nic Spaul l suggests that, on average, out of 100 children who start grade 1, just six will get some kind of qualification within six years of matric, and just four will complete a formal degree. This is woefully inadequate when you consider that in advanced economies like the UK or Finland, the numbers of formal degrees are above 50 per 100 children who start school. 'It is only through one-on-one partnerships between the likes of Henley and committed corporate citizens that we can start to change the odds decisively. Each year, Henley graduates upwards of 2,000 capable managers and leaders who go into South African workplaces to make a difference and add value. Many of these are through our Executive Education programmes.' A journey that starts with self-discovery and ends with practical application 'Like it or not, future success is linked to further education, and we need a revolution in how we think about education and training to ensure that working South Africans can make headway in a complexifying world,' says Jon Foster-Pedley, 'While getting a degree or a diploma is by no means the only route to success in life, studying further is correlated with productivity and economic growth, better social outcomes, and human happiness. ' However, it's not just about getting more people to get degrees, he cautions. It is also about changing the way people learn. Foster-Pedley points out that we live in a world that is dramatically different from the one for which most institutions of higher learning are geared to prepare their students. 'The latest Future of Jobs report from the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030 almost 40% of skill requirements will have changed,' he says. 'That changes the way people think about how to study and gain the skills they need to get ahead. We need to make sure that the skills we are gaining will remain useful and we need to find ways to learn continuously so our skills can be refreshed.' Lolly Gwabavu, the group head of Leadership Development at Nedbank and a Henley client, believes that a key part of this lies in lifelong learning and developing yourself as well as your skills. She says that the starting point for any leadership development journey lies in personal mastery. After all, leaders must first understand how to lead themselves before they lead others. Through her work with Henley, Gwabavu is developing emerging leaders identified through the bank's established talent management structures. 'One of the positives about Nedbank is that we believe everyone has the ability to be a leader. Leadership is not a position or a title, it's a disposition.' According to Linda Buckley, Pro-Dean of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience at Henley Business School Africa, another vital element to improving educational outcomes in South Africa is to ensure that learning in the classroom is closely aligned with practice. All Henley students are given ample opportunity to apply what they are learning as they are learning it, with many clients coming up with highly innovative solutions to achieve this. For example, one client, Bryte Insurance, through the Bryte Academy, recently created a shadow board (NextCo) that allows young talent within the business to make a contribution at the highest level. Tebogo Baloyi, Head of HR at Bryte Insurance, explains: 'We want diverse thinking in how we approach projects and strategic initiatives, and we want to hear the voice of our younger generation. So, NextCo is the practical experience that allows talented individuals to shine even more and get more exposure to projects. The shadow ExCo also sits like an ExCo; they are mapped to a portfolio and will be given real projects to execute as a team.' Employers recognise and value what Henley can do for them Henley's work in the skills development space is recognised globally. It's listed among the Top 30 business schools in the world in the Financial Times 2024 ranking of Executive Education programmes, scoring top in the world for Faculty Diversity in the same ranking. This makes Henley the highest ranked international business school with a campus in Africa, offering in-house corporate education to clients – an important third-party endorsement. Specific Henley programmes have also won awards. In 2022, Henley and Standard Bank won a talent development award from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) for a customised leadership development programme called 'Acceleration', part of the bank's transformation strategy to develop African leaders. 'The impact of what we discovered was greater than we could ever have imagined,' says Standard Bank executive Mei-lene Els. Of 40 people on the 'Acceleration' programme, 13 were promoted into senior leadership roles. Of these, 40% were black women. 'Employers recognise and value what Henley graduates can do for them,' says Buckley. 'Education is ultimately about change, and South Africa's employers see first-hand how Henley's graduates are personally transformed and go on to transform their workplaces, creating new value. 'We make sure we stay up to date with emerging trends by continuously finding ways to adapt our programmes to the current business environment. This includes making use of virtual and augmented reality, experiential immersions and global perspectives. We aim to create new and unique simulations for current and future-focused learning that capture the rapid acceleration of today's technological world.' DM
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Metro's violence prevention program marred by subway fight and subcontractor's RICO indictment
In November 2022, two men connected to a Metro safety program beat up another man on a station platform. Video footage, which The Times obtained last week, shows one of the workers squaring off before striking the man while the worker's colleague wearing a black shirt that says 'security' jumps into the fray throwing fists. The man fights back, is pushed down onto the Metro platform, and ends up on the tracks. Still held by one of the pair, he tries to yank away and throws punches until he is let go. The two 'community intervention specialists' — unarmed community members who have experience with at-risk populations and gang intervention — were hired to embed within Metro's 'street teams' to de-escalate and prevent violence. It's unclear who the third man is. Metro has touted the multimillion-dollar safety program as an integral solution to its fight against crime amid a surge in attacks throughout the rail and bus system, while trust in law enforcement has waned. But the 2022 incident involving the two men and a recent indictment of the co-founder of a community group also affiliated with the community intervention specialist program has raised questions about the oversight of Metro's plan. In January, Metro expanded its operation and awarded a three-year contract for nearly $25 million to the Lee Andrews Group, a public relations firm, to manage Metro's community intervention specialist program. The firm also manages Metro's street teams — a group the transit agency has described as station greeters who often distribute materials, such as PPE during the pandemic. That program complements Metro's robust transit ambassador teams, who also liaise with the public. These community-based programs have been proved to combat violence, Metro said, crediting these teams with a '15% reduction in violent crimes per boarding systemwide from 2023 to 2024' and a notable reduction in violence along the K Line. The Metro board directed the Lee Andrews Group to continue working with community organizations to combat violence by deploying specialists to 'hot spots' throughout the system. One of those groups was Developing Options, co-founded by Eugene 'Big U' Henley, who is described as a former gang member who became a community advocate. Henley was indicted in March on federal charges of fraud, robbery, extortion and running a racketeering conspiracy. Allegations against Henley also included fraudulently obtaining funds through a gang reduction and youth development program overseen by the L.A. mayor's office. Developing Options received nearly $2 million and stopped working with the Metro program March 25, Metro said, 'almost immediately after news surfaced about the organization's leadership.' A representative for Henley could not be reached for comment. Another community organization subcontracted by the Lee Andrews Group was Able Solutions — the organization affiliated with the men in the video, Metro confirmed. Since 2022, the organization has received more than $3.2 million for its work with Metro and while the men in the video were removed from the system and are no longer connected with Metro, the transit agency said the organization remains affiliated. Able Solutions has not responded to requests for comment. Metro's Customer Experience Cabinet oversees the program, but the transit agency does not vet the groups involved. That task falls to Lee Andrews Group and the community organizations, Metro said. The groups are expected to recruit members who have 'lived experience with gangs, trauma or violence,' according to the board report. According to Metro, Able Solutions requires a background check of all individuals through the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services' guard card system and a state Department of Justice Live Scan. The group also conducts a Megan's Law search. Lee Andrews' vetting process is 'rooted in on-the-ground credibility,' Metro said. 'They consult with local leaders, stakeholders and community coalitions to ensure that every individual representing the project has the necessary relationships, cultural competency and trust to operate effectively and responsibly in sensitive areas.' Since 2022, Metro said that eight people have been arrested who work as transit ambassadors, street team members and community intervention specialists. The programs have employed a combined total of nearly 800 people. Metro's top security officer in 2022, Gina Osborn, said her department was not involved in the oversight of the community intervention specialists or street teams and said that she had raised concerns over a lack of oversight. 'If you have a public safety ecosystem and you speak about it publicly, why is the entire ecosystem not under one person? Why is it compartmentalized in such a way where the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing?' Osborn sued Metro last year over an allegation that the transit agency fired her in retaliation for filing a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General following a bus hijacking. The lawsuit described a tense relationship between Osborn and Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins over differing views on how Metro's system should be secured. Scott Decker, a professor emeritus at Arizona State University who has studied criminology and gang intervention, said that public agencies' collaborations with these these types of community-based programs has helped reduce crime in cities like Chicago. The data isn't 'cut or dry' when it comes to assessing whether they work better than law enforcement to prevent violence, Decker said, but 'there's not much evidence that shows police are demonstrably better.' Metro on Thursday approved a $9.4-billion budget that included a nearly 2% increase for Metro's public safety budget. The community intervention specialist program is cited as a key priority to the 'multi-layered approach' included under a nearly $400-million bucket. Osborn had been critical of how outside law enforcement patrolled the bus and rail system and pushed for more in-house security. Earlier this month, Metro named its chief of the transit agency's new in-house police department that will oversee all of Metro's safety operations. Under a $193-million-a-year plan, sworn officers would work with Metro ambassadors and crisis intervention staffers, as well as community intervention specialists.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF names Chargers' most underrated player ahead of 2025 NFL season
PFF names Chargers' most underrated player ahead of 2025 NFL season Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri named each NFL team's most underrated player ahead of the 2025 season. For the Chargers, Macri listed linebacker Daiyan Henley under this category. Here is what Macri had to say about Henley: It wouldn't have been a major surprise for the Chargers' new coaching staff to lean on either veteran Denzel Perryman or third-round pick Junior Colson, considering his familiarity with Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter's defense, as the team's lead linebacker in 2024. However, Henley seized that opportunity, despite playing just 54 defensive snaps as a rookie. He became a key player for the defense, even earning a 71.3 PFF coverage grade, which ranked 11th at the position last season. Henley's presence in the middle of the defense was crucial to the Chargers' defensive success this past season. Arguably one of the biggest Pro Bowl snubs, Henley had 147 tackles, the eighth most in the NFL. Despite finishing as one of the best coverage linebackers in the league, Henley only recorded a single interception, which came in the final regular-season game against the Raiders. However, the former wide receiver and safety did finish with eight passes defended in 2024. Heading into Year 3, Henley will look to further stamp himself as one of the top linebackers in the league. He will start alongside Junior Colston, who missed most of his rookie campaign with injuries. Like Henley, who went through a similar process in Year 1, Colson should be in a position to make a big jump.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
12-Year-Old Found Dead After Being Swept Away in Flash Flood Remembered as Always Having a 'Smile on His Face'
Jordan Sims, the 12-year-old boy who went missing during a flash flood in Virginia on May 13, is believed to have died following the discovery of a body The seventh grader "always had a smile on his face," said his aunt Heather Breeden His aunt said Jordan went with his older sister to see the flood waters for himself, then slipped and was carried away by the waterFamily and friends are remembering Jordan Sims for his charisma and cheer. Jordan, the 12-year-old boy who went missing during a flash flood in Virginia on May 13, is believed to have died in the flood after search crews found a body around 8:45 a.m. the next morning, per a statement from Albemarle County Fire Rescue. Following the heartbreaking news, Jordan's aunt Heather Breeden told The Washington Post that her nephew was a funny, athletic and happy young boy. "People could be in a bad mood, and he would just come in there and he would cheer you up," Breeden told the outlet. "He always had a smile on his face." A seventh grader at Henley Middle School in Crozet, Virginia, Jordan loved basketball and golf, video games like Fortnite and Call of Duty and R&B and rap music. Jordan's classmates observed two minutes of silence in his memory, said Breeden's daughter, who is in the same grade as her cousin. Breeden got a glimpse of a poster honoring Jordan, which simply read "Rest in peace, Jordan," and had been signed by many classmates. "Jordan was a valued member of our Henley community. He was bright, kind and deeply loved by classmates and staff alike,' wrote Henley Principal Rick Vrhovac, per the Post. 'His loss is devastating, and we know it will affect every member of our school family in different ways.' Breeden said Jordan had dismissed his grandmother's warning about the floodwaters and went with his older sister to see it for himself. It was then that Jordan slipped, Breeden continued, and the boy fell into the water and was carried out by the water before his sister could help him. After searching on her own on Tuesday, May 12, Breeden joined the search crew on Wednesday morning. She told the Post that Jordan's body was found roughly 500 meters from where he first slipped. 'The rescuers … they did their job, they tried,' Breeden said in an interview, per the Post. PEOPLE reached out to Jordan's family but did not receive an immediate response. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Albemarle County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Eggleston said in a statement that though the body had not been positively identified as of May 14, the discovery was a "heartbreaking outcome." "Our hearts are with the Sims' family and loved ones," said Eggleston. "We are incredibly grateful to our local and regional partners who supported this search effort with urgency, professionalism and care." Read the original article on People
Boston Globe
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Vince Gill may have country roots, but he's not just a country guy
He has slowed down a little on the album front, releasing his last solo effort, the autobiographical 'Okie,' in 2019, and 'Sweet Memories,' a tribute to Ray Price that he made with steel player Paul Franklin in 2023. He hasn't gone out on tour in a while, either — at least, not by himself. That's because for the past nine years he has been doing something that some people view as a bit of a left turn — playing guitar and singing as Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Gill recalls somebody asking Eagles main man Don Henley why he'd asked a 'country guy' to be in his rock band. 'And [Henley] smiled and he said, 'because he knows how to be in a band.'' Advertisement That was a great affirmation, says Gill. For most of his career, he's been the front man; his albums and his tours have had his name alone on them. But he's also been a session guy throughout his career. He's been the harmony singer for other people, and the guitar player for other people. So, he says, 'I don't differentiate. Whether it's my show or it's their show, it's all about playing the music to the best of your ability. I don't need the spotlight. I'm comfortable with it, but I don't have to have it. It's been fun for me to not have to be the decider of all things.' He was able to surprise Henley with what a country guy could do, though. 'I was playing power chords on [Eagles member Advertisement The Eagles are currently off the road for the summer, which has given Gill the opportunity 'to put my bunch of knucklehead musicians together and go out and see if I can remember any of my songs.' At the end of the day, he says he's out there because he misses his songs. 'I spent too much time writing them and digging them out of the dirt and the blood and the guts. It's important to me to honor what I've accomplished' by playing them, he says. He also expects to put out some new music this summer. 'It's so odd to think about a new way to do things,' he observes, 'because we've spent our whole lives putting out a 10- or 12-song record every couple of years, and now all the rules are changed and the way you can accommodate and get music to people is so different.' By his reckoning, he's written some 150 songs in the last three or four years; he recorded a bunch of them last year and is now looking for a way to put more than just the usual 10 songs out. 'I did ['These Days'] however many years ago it's been, and that was 43 new songs on four different CDs. So, something to that effect.' In short, Vince Gill plans on continuing to do what he's been doing for half a century. 'The only goal I ever had was to pay the rent,' he says with a laugh. 'I don't know that I ever set goals for myself. I never did try to plan it, try to write the script before it happened. I always was good at living in the moment, and I still do it to this day. I don't have any reservations about the past and I don't worry too much about tomorrow. All I've got is this moment right here and I'm OK in it.' Advertisement VINCE GILL At the Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Place, Boston. May 17, 7:30 p.m. $53.25 and up. Stuart Munro can be reached at
