‘Don’t join Unemployed Graduates Association’
The Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, has stated that it is a ‘grave sin’ for any product of the country’s tertiary institution to join the unemployed graduates association because opportunities abound to make them self-reliant and to employ others.
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‘Don’t leave school hoping to be employed. Start thinking of how you can employ people. Think big and global but start small with an insatiable aptitude and appetite for greatness,’ Mr Ashigbey told the 39th graduating class of the Christian Service University College in Kumasi.
It was on the theme: ‘Graduate unemployment and university education in Ghana: the role of key stakeholders.’
In all, 336 students 205 of whom are males graduated at the school which also marked the school’s 40 years in existence.
Cataloguing a litany of what could make most graduates unemployable, the GCGL managing director stated, among other issues, a mismatch of qualification
Enabling environment
Mr Ashigbey said as a way of addressing the challenges, the government would have to first build the enabling environment for Ghanaians first before others.
“The Ghanaian self-hatred must stop. Let’s build opportunities for our graduates to flourish here in Ghana. Such opportunities will help to create businesses and also to own the heights of industries within, so they can be empowered to also go and compete,” he said.
He said the country ought to offer opportunities for local companies to expand to absorb graduates.
Long term
On the long-term solutions, Mr Ashigbey, an engineer by profession, asked the government to formulate ways to ensure that issues on education and skills training were incorporated into the macroeconomic policies, planning and research.
He said the government also needed to make data and statistics on everything available, especially on identification systems to assist in planning and business operations.
Offering a wide-range of solutions, Mr Ashigbey zeroed in on career counselling at all levels of education.
He said key to making a graduate relevant in these changing times was for them to acquire communications skills, language proficiency, especially in French and entrepreneurial skills.
Mr Ashigbey called for collaboration between education and industry with regular fairs where students would exhibit their talents through various projects and to be assisted after school to actualise their dreams.
He also suggested the formalisation of the career - day programme early in schools which would provide students with opportunities to select their career options.
He called for a change in attitude and perception among graduates because the ‘best way to make it is working for yourself and not for others.’
Prof. Afrane
The President of the College, Prof. Sam Afrane, announced the establishment of a research fund to promote broad-based research programmes and encourage inter-disciplinary research within the school.
He also announced a plan to organise the first-ever international conference in the college to address future challenges and promote research across institutions globally.
