Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour, 27 from Ghana recently had
an unusual opportunity. As member of a
corps of dedicated, international, young people called the Youth Goodwill
Ambassador Corps he temporarily got the chance to act as an adviser to the government
of Denmark on how to attract international talents.
On
26th April a group of dedicated international, young talents met in
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark with H.R.H. Prince Joachim of
Denmark. One of them was Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour form Ghana.
“It
was an honor to meet HRH Prince Joachim in
person. And an even greater experience to be part of a group giving advice to
the Danish government in an area of great political attention in Denmark: How
to attract more well educated, international talents,” says Elvis
Kyere-Gyeabour.
Elvis
Kyere-Gyeabour is part of a group called the Youth Goodwill Ambassador Corps, a group of all
together 350 young international people activating their network to
promote Denmark to peers in their home countries. The objective is to create
bilateral student mobility opportunities and global careers.
”With the Youth Goodwill Ambassador
Corps we are engaging international talents all over the world. In today’s
global economy, talent mobility is a huge driver for intercultural exchange,
innovation and exports. By working closely with our youth ambassadors, we are
connecting Denmark with the home countries of our youth ambassadors on a people
to people level, which already is showing great results,” HRH Prince Joachim of
Denmark said when attending the summit.
Advising the Danish government
When 160 of the Youth Ambassadors – including Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour - met
on the 26th of April they at the same time handed over a number of recommendations
to the Danish government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs
officials.
“Knowledge and competencies are drivers for future
growth. Denmark has international competitive strongholds within labour market
flexibility, research and higher education, and great conditions for
entrepreneurs and start-up companies. I am pleased to see how Youth Goodwill
Ambassador Corps engages international talents from all over the world,” says
Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation of Denmark, Mogens Jensen. And he continues:
“In today’s global economy, attraction of highly
qualified and skilled labour is crucial for international competiveness,
innovation and entrepreneurship. By working closely with international
students, we are connecting Denmark with the home countries of our youth
ambassadors on a people to people level, which has already shown positive
results.”
Some of the recommendations
given by the Youth Goodwill Ambassadors and Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour to the Danish
government are:
- Work-life balance, work-life balance and work-life balance. It is the main reason that talent pursues a career in Denmark. Denmark’s international communication should be even clearer about the unique opportunity in Denmark of being able to have an exciting career and a family life without compromise.
- 68.9 percent rated work-life balance as the primary
reason that they will pursue a career in Denmark after completing their
studies.
- International students would like to work in Denmark, but after graduating it takes them longer to find a job than they can afford financially or visa entitles them to stay. Help them find a student job so that they can stay in Denmark and also create value from day 1.
- 80 percent would like to have a student
job in
Denmark.
- Many international students would like to start our own business, so strengthen the conditions that allow them to become entrepreneurs and make sure that they can obtain a residence permit as self-employed.
- 29.7 percent would like to start their
own business in
Denmark
“I found it a great
privilege to have attended the Youth Ambassador Summit 2014 providing the
Danish Government with me and my fellow ambassadors opinions on how Denmark can
get even better at attracting talents and well educated people from around the
globe,” says Elvis Kyere-Gyeabour.
The Youth Goodwill
Ambassador Corps
The Youth Goodwill Ambassador Corps is founded
by Copenhagen Capacity, Wonderful Copenhagen, Copenhagen Goodwill Ambassador
Corps and the Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalization. Partner
institutions include Copenhagen University, Aarhus University, Aalborg
University, Copenhagen Business School and the Technical University of Denmark.
Contact:
Talent Attraction
Head of Department
