Partner Stories from Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator

Collaboration and partnership are at the heart of our work at Prince’s Trust International. We believe that, to develop the best programmes for young people, we must listen and learn from our local delivery partners in each of the countries we work in, so that together we can meet the needs and ambitions of young people around the world.

With this in mind, we caught up with staff from our delivery partner in Rwanda, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, to hear what they had to say about working on the Harambee & Prince’s Trust International Bridge Programme.

About the Programme

Prior to the pandemic, the Harambee PTI Bridge programme was developed as an employability programme targeted at the growing tourism and hospitality sector in Rwanda. Due to the impact of Covid-19 it was necessary for us and our partners to be agile, adapting to the changing landscape.

The programme was developed into a virtual non-sector specific course that helped young people develop key employability skills, and introduce them to key skills for entrepreneurship. The first cohort undertook modules such as professionalism, problem solving for earning and English language acceleration.

As a result of the lack of opportunity within labour markets exacerbated by the pandemic, the course further adapted and increased its focus on the ‘problem solving for earning’ module. The programme now includes modules on customer analysis and how to identify the skills you can make money from.

Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator Staff Share Their Stories

The development of the Harambee PTI Bridge programme demonstrates the ingenuity and teamwork of the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator staff. Together, we have adapted to the needs of young people in Rwanda, in real time, to ensure that the programme remains relevant and needs-based.

To date we have supported 498 young people in Rwanda with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.

Chantal's Story

Chantal has guided the PTI Bridge programme since its beginning and has seen it through its various development stages, working closely with us throughout. Here she talks about managing the programme and why they chose to partner with Prince’s Trust International.

Kevin's Story

Kevin is passionate about IT and works at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator as the platform administrator and candidate support. Here, he talks about the things that drive him to do what he does, and what he has learnt since working on the PTI Bridge programme.

Monique's Story

Monique is passionate about education and works at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator as a facilitator and Bridge manager. Here, she shares her inspiration for work, and what working closely with Prince’s Trust International on the programme has helped her to achieve.