Growth Beyond Grades: From Learning to Earning
Our flagship programme for university students and recent graduates across Africa. In eight weeks, Fellows find their direction, build the skills employers look for, and start applying with confidence.
Cohort 2 applications have closed and selection is underway.
COHORT 1 PILOT COMPLETE · COHORT 2 STARTING SOON
Growth Beyond Grades
A personal and professional development programme that helps university students and recent graduates move from education to meaningful work, with wellbeing built in from day one.
- Pan-African · Online
- In partnership with The Student Growth Hub
- Six-week pilot · Eight-week Cohort 2
- Free for all participants
THE CHALLENGE
Africa has a youth employment crisis. GBG is one part of the solution.
Africa is the world’s youngest continent. By 2030, young Africans will represent one in five of the world’s youth. Yet the systems designed to support their transition into economic life are consistently failing them.
60%
of Africa's population is under the age of 25, the world's youngest continent by demographic share. _African Development Bank, 2023
12 million
young Africans enter the labour market every year. Fewer than 3 million formal jobs are created to absorb them.
_ILO Africa Report, 2024.
72%
of employed youth in sub-Saharan Africa are in vulnerable or informal work not the meaningful work they prepared for.
_World Bank.
1 in 2
GBG Cohort 1 applicants had never written a CV before applying in 2026, preparing to enter a workforce that would ask for one.
1 in 7
adolescents aged 10–19 worldwide live with a mental health condition, and half of all conditions begin by age 14. _World Health Organization
WHAT OUR OWN DATA SHOWED
Before Cohort 1 began every applicant completed a structured baseline assessment. Here is what we found.
75%
Lacked career clarity on entry
1 in 2
Had never written a CV
9 of 30
Scored below WHO-5 poor wellbeing threshold
3.27 of 5
Average professional self-assessment at baseline
THE PROGRAMMME
Cohort 1 pilot: six weeks built on the RISE model
GBG is a structured intervention grounded in the R-WEF RISE Framework, Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Empowerment. Delivered in partnership with The Student Growth Hub, each week builds intentionally on the last.
Week 1 · Identity
Three-layer professional identity framework. Know who you are before you tell the world.
Week 2 · Skill Audit
Digital literacy mapping and skills gap analysis against real market demand.
Week 3 · Communication
Professional value articulation. Say who you are and make people listen.
Week 4 · Execution
Goal setting and accountability systems. Turn intentions into consistent outcomes.
Week 5 · Career Blueprint
Career clarity framework and 90-day action plan grounded in self-knowledge.
Week 6 · Legacy
Reflection, peer recognition, and public commitment to what comes next.
Cohort 2 · Starting soon
Eight Weeks, Four Stages
Cohort 2 builds on everything the pilot taught us. Fellows move through four stages, each with a clear purpose, weekly topics and something practical to show at the end.
Week 1
Stabilise
Steady before you start
Practical tools to manage pressure, so Fellows can learn and act from a steadier place.
- Personal coping toolkit
- Meet your peer pod
- Programme orientation and goals
Week 2
Decentre
Worth beyond the transcript
Separating who you are from your grades, and naming the strengths you bring.
- Identity beyond grades
- Your "beyond the transcript" statement
- Training to lead your first RISE peer session
Weeks 3–6
Equip
Skills employers look for
Career clarity, professional identity and the digital tools today’s workplaces expect.
- AI and digital readiness workshop
- CV and LinkedIn clinic
- Career clarity and mid-programme check-in
- Career and mentor panel
Weeks 7–8
Act
From ready to applying
Putting it all to work with real applications and interview practice.
- Application clinic: apply for real roles
- Mock interviews with volunteers
- Final reflection and graduation
How it works
What a Cohort 2 week looks like
Weekly live session
A 90-minute online session each week, led by our programme team.
A practical task
Every week ends with something real: a tool, a document or an application.
Peer pods
Small groups that keep each other accountable between sessions.
Mentors and reviewers
Working professionals give feedback on CVs and interviews, and share career advice.
Share it forward
Each Fellow leads three short RISE sessions for peers, so learning spreads beyond the cohort.
Measured progress
Check-ins at the start, midpoint and end, plus alumni follow-up at 3 and 6 months.
One cohort, wider reach
Cohort 2 is designed for up to 50 Core Fellows, each sharing what they learn with around three peers.
COHORT 1 — 2026
What the evidence showed
Wellbeing was measured with the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, a validated World Health Organization tool (average score 61.2 to 76.7). Work readiness was measured with a structured scale at baseline and endline (28.5 to 33.6).
Average recommendation score
At programme entry, 9 participants scored below 50 on the WHO-5 Wellbeing Index, the threshold the WHO identifies as indicating poor wellbeing. By graduation, zero participants remained in this category.
Cohort 1 Impact Report
Our Growth Beyond Grades Cohort 1 Impact Report is now available. Explore the outcomes, participant experiences, key learnings, and impact of the pilot programme.
WHERE WE ARE HEADED
The GBG Roadmap.
GBG is the first stage of a longer journey we are building: from psychological foundation, through professional development, to community leadership and economic opportunity. Later stages are in planning and will grow with partnership and funding.
GBG Cohort 1
Pilot complete.
27 graduates. 5 countries. Proof of concept established.
GBG Cohort 2
Starting soon. Eight weeks, up to 50 Core Fellows, mentorship and alumni follow-up.
Student to Work
In planning: connecting graduates to employment pathways and opportunities.
RISE Collective
In planning: a longer integrated programme, from inner foundation to community leadership.
Pan-African Scale
Long-term ambition: more countries, more young people, and published research.
