Standard Chartered Bank, Challenges WorldWide partner to launch ‘Youth to Work’ programme

Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited in collaboration with Challenges WorldWide has launched the ‘Youth to Work’ programme to position, equip and provide young people with relevant skills and economic opportunities for sustainable and measurable impact.

Launched virtually in a webinar attended by stakeholders and partners, Youth to Work is the flagship employability programme under Futuremarkers by Standard Chartered, the Bank’s new initiative to tackle inequality and promote greater economic inclusion for young people.

The programme, supported by the Standard Chartered Foundation, seeks to recruit approximately 800 young people from universities across Ghana, train and assess them, then shortlist 45 for work placements with Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) in Ghana as Junior Associates where they will be expected to provide consultancy services in Business Management.

Speaking during the webinar, Sheikh Jobe, Chief Operating Officer, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited expressed excitement about the programme. “As a brand that is “Here for good” Standard Chartered is committed to position and equip our young people with skills and opportunities to create sustainable and measurable socio-economic impact in Ghana.

We hope the Youth to Work programme will have significant impact on the lives of the participants and the businesses they will be placed into”

“With this programme, we are directly investing in equipping the youth with the requisite skills needed for business, employment and entrepreneurship and we are excited about partnering with Challenges Worldwide to realize the objectives of the programme”, added Mr. Sheikh Jobe.

The Youth to Work programme is designed around an enterprise placement-based model that incorporates youth skill development. Participants will be enrolled into intensive training on key business consultancy skills using accredited training from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) before being placed into Small and Growing Businesses where they will develop their training in real-world environments, supporting the enterprises and being supported by Challenges Worldwide.

Through the programme, participants will get the opportunity to develop their current skill set with the view to improving their employability after the programme and will gain valuable insight into all areas of managing an enterprise.

Neil Fleming, Director, Challenges Worldwide said the launch of the Youth to Work programme is very timely in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a huge platform for Ghanaian youth and I urge qualified persons to take advantage of the programme to gain practical resources. By participating in the Youth to Work programme you will be viewed more as implementers of change as well as get an opportunity to thrive in the business world.”

The programme is eligible to young people between 21-30 years (or 21-35 for persons with disability) from diverse backgrounds including but not limited to Finance, Accounting, Computing & IT, Applied & Social Sciences, Management, Communications and Marketing who can commit to a 4-month full time placement and 2 weeks training.

“We are optimistic that the platform will endow Ghanaian youth with practical skills and entrepreneurial spirit where they can fulfill their potential and also contribute to developing the economy at large”, added Neil Fleming.

The 2020 Youth to Work programme is open for applications from 6th - 30th October 2020 and details can be found at: youthtowork.ghana@thechallengesgroup.com