What does it take to turn a skill into a business?
For the young people who recently completed the Grill & Grow training in the Bono East Region, the answer began with learning how to run one.
Over two days, participants were taken through the practical realities of starting and managing a grilling business. The training covered the business side of grilling, helping participants understand what separates a side hustle from a structured enterprise and what it takes to manage one day-to-day.
Then came the practical session.
Participants prepared and seasoned chicken, worked the grill, and understood the process of making chicken a finished product ready for sale. The training was delivered in collaboration with Agrico Skills Academy and Startups Cooperative Union, whose technical expertise helped deliver these impactful sessions.
For Jobberman Ghana, the training reflects a broader understanding of what it means to create economic opportunities for young people.
“Not every young person will take the formal employment route. Some will want to build a business around a skill they have learned. Our role is to make that pathway more accessible by providing practical training and the support needed to take the first step,” said Asiwome Biekro, Program Manager for the HAPPY Program at Jobberman Ghana.
The Bono East cohort is part of the Grill & Grow Initiative being implemented by Jobberman Ghana under the HAPPY Program. Following its first cohort in Accra, the initiative is now reaching young people in other communities, with another training taking place in Damongo.
The focus remains on the poultry value chain, where grilling provides a practical entry point for young people who want to start small and build over time.
But Grill & Grow is not an isolated intervention.
Across its work under the HAPPY Program, Jobberman Ghana is also supporting young people to develop skills in other agricultural value chains. In Sang, a community in the Mion District of the Northern Region, 120 young women were trained in soy drink production and provided with starter packs and equipment to support them in starting their own production.
The value chains may differ, but the approach is consistent. Identifying practical opportunities, equipping young people with relevant skills, and providing support that can help them move from training into economic activity remains a priority for Jobberman Ghana.
For a recruitment company, this may seem like a departure from the traditional idea of matching people to jobs. However, it is in fact, an extension of the same goal.
“Creating economic opportunities does not always mean placing someone in a formal job. Sometimes it means helping a young person develop a skill they can earn from and eventually use to create work for others. That is an important part of why we are investing in these enterprise pathways under the HAPPY Program,” said Hilda Nimo-Tieku, Managing Director of Jobberman Ghana.
The work continues beyond the training room. With startup equipment, mentorship and ongoing support, participants are being given the means to put their skills into practice.
For the young people in Bono East and Damongo, that journey is beginning with a grill. For the women in Sang, it began with soy.
The larger goal is the same: helping young people move closer to creating work for themselves and, eventually, for others.
