Forty (40) young females, all unemployed and underemployed graduates are benefitting from a fully funded twelve week Tech Employment Training mounted by Generation Ghana, MEST Africa, the MasterCard Foundation and delivery partners Whizzy Academy in the Ashanti Region.
The initiative dabbed the Ghana Online and Remote Work Program code named GROW is structured along a strict and intensive curriculum intended to equip participants with demand driven skills in Digital Marketing; Digital Content Creation and Search Engine Optimization.
The aim of the training is to support participants find local and international employment opportunities within the wide array of remote and freelance jobs engineered by the fast growing digital Economy.
“The idea is that we are giving skills to young ladies to participate in the world of technology and the digital revolution. Once they get the skills, they can work as digital marketers, social media marketers, content marketers, SEO experts and the like,” Managing Lead at Whizzy Academy Samuel Aboagye told reporters.
The initiative comes at a crucial moment when unemployed youth aged between 15 and 35 in Ghana hit an alarming 1.3 million in the first three quarters of 2023 with the rate among females consistently greater than males.
This initiative will play a significant role in reducing Ghana’s unemployment burden averaging some 14.7% as captured in the 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey Quarter Three Labour Bulletin by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).
Generation Job Creation
Project Spearheads, Generation, a global not for profit which has gained international acclaim for its highly successful employability and entrepreneurial training programs is positive the cohorts will gain sustainable and fulfilling jobs after the training session.
Throwing more light on the coalition driven support, Country Programs Director Dr. Vandyke Lomotey explained, “Generation together with the MasterCard Foundation designed the entire program and brought in partners like MEST Africa and Whizzy Academy to support in delivering the program.”
Generation Ghana hopes to directly impact some 2000 youth aged between 15 and 35 in Ghana with its New Generation Initiative which focuses on tech driven jobs
“We are equipping them to source for remote and online opportunities whether part-time or in a freelancing capacity. Our target is that 80% of the people that graduate from our program within 90 days will get a life changing opportunity that will put them on a pathway towards meaningful and dignified career paths.” Vandyke added.
MEST & MasterCard Training Support
Liana Tamakloe Ekuadzi Programs Manager for MEST Africa indicated that the content of the training program has been fine-tuned to reflect corrections and successes chalked in its streak of programs targeting young graduates with market driven tech courses.
We have been organizing such trainings with MasterCard Foundation since 2020 and when we were tasked to train 600 youth in tech skills and find them jobs, we ended up training over a thousand. A huge chunk of them found digital jobs, gigs and freelancers while others went into entrepreneurship.
“Together with this coalition, we are upscaling our impact to reach at least 2000 young people based on the experiences and lessons we have learnt along the way,” Liana assured.
Out of a thousand three hundred applications, only forty females made it through the rigorous entry requirements which entailed aptitude tests, creativity tests and support interviews.
Training Cohort
Some lucky participants who spoke to Ultimate/Starr News’ Ivan Heathcote – Fumador shared how elated they were to have sailed through to make the list.
“The recruitment process was extremely demanding so I feel privileged to be part of this cohort. I don’t have a strong background in digital marketing but as I enter this training, I am sure I will find my specialty,” a beneficiary Doris Anabel Safowaa averred.
The participants also commended the Coalition for their specific interest in supporting females who appear to bear the biggest brunt and incidence of graduate unemployment.
“I pride myself to be a feminist. I am heavy on affirmative action and I think it is a great initiative,” Doris Safowaa said.
“I have always felt that females in Africa have been left behind even though there are initiatives to create equity. This project shows me there is a lot of hope for the future for women in the work space,” Favor Obami commended.
As part of support systems, each participant will be equipped with a laptop, internet connection with free data a weekly stipend and meals to support their training which will consist of in-person sessions, immersion assignments and internships.
By: Ivan Heathcote – Fumador
