Entrepreneurship Development Advisor

Assignment Type:

Canadian International Volunteer

Eligibility Requirements:

Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada only

Assignment ID:

VA-106917

Assignment Title:

Entrepreneurship Development Advisor

Partner:

Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs

Country:

Ghana

Duration:

4 to 5 months

Time Commitment:

Full time

Assignment Context

Are you passionate about Gender Equality? Do you have Entrepreneurship Development skills to share? 

As the Entrepreneurship Development Advisor with the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs in Accra, Ghana, you will provide technical support to the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs secretariat on sustainable entrepreneurship, business mentorship and coaching skills to young entrepreneurs registered with the chamber.

Apply today to have an impact on youth economic development in Ghana!

Roles and Responsibilities

• Support the Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) to develop an entrepreneurship and mentoring strategy for young business start-ups
• Assist the partner in the design of business development training modules for young members focusing on young female entrepreneurs
• Support the team to identify networking opportunities with government and industry players 
• Collaborate in providing training on business sustainability models in finance, operations and marketing to the management team 
• Use a gender equality lens in all stages of program design and implementation
• Support the inclusion of Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action (ESCA) principles into the program design and engage ESCA stakeholders
• Support the organization to consider meaningful inclusion of program participants
• Participate in pre-assignment training
• Participate in at least 3 public engagement initiatives before, during, or after the assignment. Volunteers will be equipped with the tools, training, and support to achieve these goals. Volunteers will also have one virtual check-in with the Public Engagement Officer throughout the course of their assignment
• Set up a personalized volunteer fundraising page on the WUSC fundraising platform and share it in your networks. Volunteers will be supported with the tools, training and support to achieve the fundraising goal
• Submit reports as required by the partner organization and by WUSC.

Experience and Qualifications

• Degree in Business Administration/Management or a related field
• Experience in entrepreneurship strategy development
• Experience working with network organizations is an asset
• Ability to build teams and group development
• Minimum two (2) years relevant professional experience in your field of expertise
• A commitment to gender equality, youth inclusion, and international volunteering
• Flexibility, adaptability, excellent interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity
• Experience with group facilitation and trainings, including content development considered an asset
• Experience living and working internationally considered an asset
• Written and oral fluency in English.

Project Description

Volunteering for development is one of the important ways in which WUSC pursues its mission. The IGNI+E project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, supports over 70 partner organizations to advance gender equality and the economic empowerment of 1.2 million youth around the world. IGNI+E harnesses the knowledge, capacity and expertise of skilled Canadians through volunteer assignments and public engagement activities to assist partners in improving their performance, advocating for gender equality, and implementing more sustainable, innovative and inclusive initiatives and services for poor and marginalised youth, particularly young women. Overseas, our volunteers collaborate with a wide variety of partners, including enterprise and social enterprise development incubators, skills training centres, women’s organizations, and youth groups. In Canada, WUSC works with institutions and individuals to identify, prepare, and support volunteers who travel overseas to support our partners. Our network in Canada also works with WUSC to raise awareness among Canadians to inspire greater action on global development issues. Our collective focus is on sustainable and inclusive changes to create a better world for youth.

Partner Description

Ghana Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (GCYE) is the official network of young Ghanaian business owners as an advocacy group. GCYE was formed in 2015 with the primary objective of uniting, engaging, and promoting initiatives and innovations of young entrepreneurs to facilitate support in their pursuit of economic prosperity.The chamber’s target group is young people between 18 and 40 who either own a business or are aspiring to be entrepreneurs, with a specific focus on young women entrepreneurs. The absence of tailored and defined legislative instruments and a lack of accurate knowledge and finance limit the growth of many young entrepreneurs.With their already-established captains of the industry, they provide business mentorship, coaching, and training to their members via conferences, workshops, breakfast meetings, etc.They also use varied business funding methods, such as crowdfunding, grants, bank credits, and angel investors, to mobilize funds for our members.GCYE is committed to social entrepreneurship and positioned to create an enabling space for young people who are passionate about addressing various social and environmental challenges. At GYCE, they believe in the power of purposeful collective responsibility for laying a formidable and robust foundation for the future of entrepreneurship and national development.

Support Package

• Support and guidance from the WUSC Volunteer Mobilization Team prior to departure and from WUSC Country Team while on assignment
• Pre-departure training to learn about the volunteering for development program, gain practical skills for living and working in an intercultural context and network with other volunteers
• In-country orientation upon arrival in country of assignment
• Language training in country of assignment, where required
• Modest monthly living and accommodation allowance
• Airfare to and from the assignment country
• Visa/work permit
• Pre-departure medical exam
• Health insurance
• Vaccinations and antimalarial medication
• Criminal record verification
• Vacation leave entitlement
• Debriefing after completion of assignment
• An incredible opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to global development, enhance your professional skills and participate in an experience of a lifetime!

WUSC’s Safeguarding Policy

WUSC’s activities seek to balance inequities and create sustainable development around the globe; the work ethic of our staff, volunteers, representatives and partners shall correspond to the values and mission of the organization. WUSC promotes responsibility, respect, honesty, and professional excellence and we will not tolerate harassment, coercion and sexual exploitation and abuse of any form. Successful applicants will be required to sign off on the WUSC Code of Conduct and the Self-Disclosure Form. International and national volunteers will also be required to submit a criminal record verification.

WUSC is a signatory to the Cooperation Canada Leaders’ Pledge on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Misconduct. The pledge represents the shared commitment as Canada’s global development and humanitarian leaders to ensure the full implementation of practices and policies that will protect and respond to our own staff, volunteers and the communities we serve. We are committed to creating safe and respectful workplaces and programs that promote gender equality and are free from gender-based violence, including by addressing and responding to all abuse of power, holding people to account, and protecting the vulnerable. Read the full pledge.