Make the Most of Your USAID Learning Network Membership

Allan Ochola, a graduate student studying microbiology at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, joined USAID’s Higher Education Learning Network (HELN) because, he says, the HELN provides “an opportunity to help co-shape the role of youth in higher education discourse.” 

Allan is founder of the Diplomacy Now Institute, which seeks to develop future leaders in diplomacy, policy, and advocacy. He is concerned about youth skills development, “especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, where learning opportunities were significantly disrupted, particularly for the disadvantaged population.” Joining the HELN, one of the three USAID global learning networks of the Leading Through Learning Global Platform, meant joining the conversation around skills development and other important topics.

We spoke with Allan about participating in the HELN and how his membership has advanced his professional knowledge and experience within higher education and across sectors. Here are a few tips we gleaned on making the most of your learning network membership:

1. Follow Your Interests

Allan is interested in various topics, from artificial intelligence and machine learning to open science, climate change, and the future of work. His experience with the HELN shed light on where these topics intersected with higher education and gave him opportunities to advocate for issues he cares about:

"My participation led me to appreciate education as a development sector. This enabled me to increase awareness of the importance of quality [education programs] and added value of higher education in emerging fields such as climate change, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and the future of work. As a member of the HELN, I have been part of the Young African Leaders Initiative inaugural cohort of the Climate Tech Innovators and Leaders Program, funded by USAID. Through this program, I emphasize higher education’s role in developing adaptation strategies to address climate change."

His appreciation of the role of higher education within development led Allan to dive deeper into how higher education can best prepare students for emerging blue and green jobs (related to the oceans and environmental sustainability), which he points out “may require higher order thinking skills that are not adequately developed through traditional teaching models.” Learning networks like the HELN provide a space to advocate for ways to address these emerging challenges.

2. Collaborate on Learning

Learning network members bring invaluable experience and knowledge from their regions and areas of expertise to their networks and often inform USAID Center for Education’s Learning Agendas. Much of this sharing and learning happens through committees and working groups. Joining these groups is a great way to meet and collaborate with other professionals in your field at all levels. Allan highlights the connections he made through a HELN working group: 

"The membership of the HELN is diverse, and my continued participation has enabled me to interact with colleagues at the heart of education development. For instance, within the HELN, I am part of the employability working group with [six others]. This collaboration led us to organize a session at the recently concluded UNCTAD eWeek 2023 on the gig economy: Positioning Higher Education at the Center of the Future of Work. It was a joy to work with them, and the event was a success."

3. Challenge Your Perspective

Allan notes, “solving current problems requires understanding and cooperation of participants with different backgrounds and varying methods applied.” Diverse perspectives enrich the events, resources, and other activities learning networks offer, and looking at something through a different lens can often illuminate issues. Allan recalls:

"I participated in the FailFest event organized by the HELN, and it was an opportunity to learn about the challenges higher education and various education implementing partners face to ensure their graduates succeed in the labor market. A key takeaway from the event is that there is a need to begin discussing our failures when designing curricula that can respond to local needs, and it is okay to fail."

4. Join the conversation—or Start One!

“HELN is a place for you to freely share your ideas,” Allan says.

The network has a HELN Member Discussion group on LinkedIn where members can ask questions, discuss challenges and successes, and share resources. If you haven’t joined a conversation yet, start by sharing how being a part of the HELN has influenced your work.

The HELN brings together donors, practitioners, government officials, academics, researchers, students, nongovernmental organizations, and others to strengthen higher education and its unique role in supporting sustainable development across sectors. The network’s 2,900 members from nearly 200 countries represent a range of distinct perspectives and experiences. Together, they create a community of people who believe higher education is a tool to improve lives and create lasting change.

If you are not yet a member of a Leading Through Learning Global Platform learning network, sign up here for free and receive updates on events and activities.

Note: Interview responses above have been edited for length and clarity.