INTRODUCTION
18 year old Jamal Mitchell is an aspiring entrepreneur in the Apiary Sector having completed his training in Bee Keeping at Adult Teen Challenge Grenada (ATCG). He lives with his nuclear family in Grand Mal, St. George, Grenada and is a co-contributor to the household. He loves fishing, showing off his handyman skills, being outdoors and taking time out for spiritual reflection. He is driven by personal growth and being independent.
UKaid SUPPORT
SkYE Caribbean partnered with ATCG to train 60 young people in three CVQ Level 2 Agriculture Sector training programmes: Crop Production, Rabbit Rearing and Bee Keeping. These training areas will help increase opportunities for self-employment and improved economic activity as agriculture remains a key pillar of the Grenadian economy.
LIFE NOW vs THEN
Jamal working on a split-level hive in the field
Jamal is a self-taught barber. This was useful in financing his education at the Grenada Boys Secondary School. “I continued this hustle after graduation in 2020 to support myself because life was difficult and I experienced numerous social, behavioural and financial difficulties”, he emotionally recounted. After graduation, he enrolled in the Grenada Investment Development Corporation (GIDC) Youth Entrepreneurial Workshop. While in that training, he was informed by a neighbour about the SkYE-supported skills training at ATCG. Jamal mused, “I will be forever grateful to her for sharing that information and to the several mentors, counsellors and pastors who provided moral and social support. Because of them, I am a better person today”.
Prior to ATCG’s training, Jamal was employed part-time by a local beekeeper while he continued barbering services. This part-time job in beekeeping helped to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The skills training at ATCG was very intense and informative. It provided perspective and context for managing bees. Additionally, Jamal forged several friendships and strengthened networking opportunities within the Beekeepers Association. “Teamwork was the greatest lesson I learned during training”, he exclaimed.
COMMUNITY AND WIDER CONTEXT
When asked about his future plans, Jamal responded, “Currently, I am seeking local approval and certification for my immune system booster product, registering my business, developing a project proposal to access a government grant for youth entrepreneurs, and conducting research to expand apiary therapeutic remedy by-products”. Following Grenada’s battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increased interest in natural remedies as an alternative to pharmaceutical products. Grenada is known for high quality honey and rich herbs and spices, so raw materials are easily accessible to grow. Moreover, Jamal is registered to start a 6-month online management course in October which will help him on his journey to become an entrepreneur and an employer in the future. He exclaimed, “My life is a testimonial of what this training can achieve and I have recommended this training to several young persons”.
FACTS
Skills for Youth Employment (SkYE) is a four-year, UKaid funded programme to provide certified skills training for 6,000 disadvantaged young people, including those challenged by disability, in four Eastern Caribbean countries: Dominica, Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent & the Grenadines. The Programme will develop a more productive and inclusive workforce in sectors with good economic growth potential.
SkYE is supporting national training authorities and training providers to make systemic improvements to the development, delivery and quality assurance of technical, vocational education and training (TVET) in the four focus islands through targeted capacity building.
