As a Programme Manager for Pinnacle’s NextGen Programme, Yoga’s scope of work sees him being involved in much more than just its educational aspect. From website content and quality assurance, to collateral design, he pulls no punches when it comes to ensuring the success of the Programme and its participants.

We caught up with Yoga to find out how he embodies our core value of “Making an Impact with Purpose” through his work.

Give us an overview of what you do as Programme Manager for Pinnacle’s NextGen Programme.

Yoga Kavinesh (YK): With several initiatives under both Golden Equator Wealth and Golden Equator Consulting, supporting the next generation from Ultra-High-Net-Worth families has always been a key focus of Golden Equator.

Hence, my role as Programme Manager is to consolidate – and build on – the hard work put in by previous teams to develop structured and impactful programmes that help NextGens overcome the unique challenges they face.

“…my role as Programme Manager is to consolidate – and build on – the hard work put in by previous teams in order to develop structured and impactful programmes that help NextGens overcome the unique challenges they face.”

Part of this involves collaborating with industry professionals and academics to explore new subjects or areas of interest, and designing engagements that will be useful for NextGens both in Singapore and the region.

Also, given that Pinnacle is relatively new compared to Golden Equator’s other businesses, I initially supported the team in understanding the general business structure that learning organisations adopt. Finally, helped to review various accreditation providers that had the potential to support the development of the business.

Give us some insight about what went into the development of the NextGen Programme.

YK: The work that goes into the development of such programmes can be split into two key areas. The first is the programme’s content, and the second is the programme’s structure and pedagogy – the way a subject matter is taught.

With respect to the programme’s content, the team and I first had to ensure its relevancy. Oftentimes, relevancy doesn’t only involve catering to the target audience, but also to the ecosystem that the audience is a part of. For the NextGen Programme, this meant that the curriculum had to satisfy not only the needs of the NextGens themselves, but the needs of their family as well.

“…relevancy doesn’t only involve catering to the target audience, but also the ecosystem that the audience is part of. For the NextGen Programme, this meant that the curriculum had to satisfy not only the needs of the NextGens themselves, but the needs of their family as well.”

After reviewing and confirming the content, the structure of the programme had to be considered – something that was greatly affected by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic which limited in- person learning. Whilst there was some movement towards asynchronous learning (i.e. enabling students to learn at their own pace within a specified timeframe) in the education sector prior to the pandemic, COVID-19 really accelerated this movement due to the restrictions on in-person learning.

However, although there is a place for e-learning in most programmes, not all content can be effectively communicated via virtual platforms or channels. Specifically, content requiring interaction between participants such as exploratory case studies and group presentations are more effective when conducted in-person.

What was the key challenge you faced when developing the NextGen programme, and how did you overcome this challenge?
YK: I would say that the key challenge stemmed from there being many “types” of NextGens – each with her/his own personal and professional goals and aspirations. Similarly, each has her/his own challenges and shortcomings that they would like to overcome. Hence, developing one fixed programme that would completely satisfy an individual’s needs would have been impossible.

As such, we had to design a programme that could be customised to the individual to ensure relevance and a bespoke experience.

When it comes to Golden Equator’s core values, how does “making an impact with purpose” resonate with you?
YK: In the field of education, making an impact and ensuring that our courses and programmes effectively address a purpose is of crucial importance. This being the case, our core value of “making an impact with purpose” is one that I resonate with the most, and something that I strive to always uphold in my area of work.

“In the field of education, making an impact and ensuring that our courses and programmes effectively address a purpose is of crucial importance.”

This is because developing and offering courses that do not support an individual in their personal or career aspirations renders the course effectively useless. Moreover, it is important that we do not waste the time and money of our course participants.

Essentially, we want participants leaving our classrooms feeling inspired, confident, and possessing the belief that they are in a much better place to achieve their goals and contribute both to their businesses and to society.

“…we want participants leaving our classrooms feeling inspired, confident, and possessing the belief that they are in a much better place to achieve their goals and contribute both to their businesses and to society.”

This article was originally published by Golden Equator People Experience Management Team