“The unemployment rate for youth in Ghana is 50%,” said John Bingham, Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business professor. “The majority of those people in the working economy are in the informal economy.”

In an effort to encourage competitive skills in a complex labor market, a group of MBA students and professors from the BYU Marriott School of Business recently spent two weeks in Ghana where they consulted with businesses and worked with Ghanaian BYU-Pathway students through three workshops: creating solid resumes, preparing for job interviews and developing professional networking skills.

The volunteers hosted six events across 15 stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reaching more than 500 participants. In addition, they trained 132 Ghanaian volunteers who are now equipped to share these career-building skills with family members and friends.

For MBA student and Ghana native Emmanuel Obbah, the experience was an opportunity to help others become more confident in becoming self-reliant and being strong disciples of Jesus Christ.

“We try to help everyone that we receive,” Obbah said. “It has really been joyful to be part of this program and to help in my own country.”

Ghanaian BYU-Pathways student Elizabeth Marshall received friendship and belonging as the Provo-based volunteers reached out to serve.

“Each time I join activities, I hear someone calling me, and the person I do it with wants to befriend me and engages me in activity, and then I feel I belong here,” Marshall said. “I’m a member.”

The outreach reflects the BYU Marriott School of Business’s commitment to creating meaningful change through Christlike leadership: “We value deep and abiding faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith gives us the capacity to envision a better future, the confidence to make that future happen, and the courage to act in the face of challenges” (marriott.byu.edu).