Young students urged to patronise engineering - Karpowership, UNESCO mark Engineering Day
Karpowership Ghana and the Ghana Commission for the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have held a seminar for students studying engineering programmes at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to commemorate the International Day of Engineering.
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The seminar was to sensitise aspiring and existing engineering students to the contribution of engineers to society and to also inspire them to stay in the field.
The World Engineering Day is a global celebration of how engineers, technicians and technologists make a difference and solve problems.
The UNESCO's General Conference proclaimed March 4 World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development during its 40th session in November 2019.
This year’s event is on the theme: “Engineering innovation for a more resilient world”.
Engineers, development
The Communications Manager of Karpowership Ghana, Sandra Amarquaye, praised engineers for their contribution to development.
She said Karpowership was committed to whipping up the interest of Ghanaian students in engineering.
“As part of our corporate social responsibility, we have instituted a scholarship scheme for brilliant needy students at the Engineering Department of the Takoradi Technical University.
We also have a mentorship programme which aims at empowering the young child.
Over 400 students have benefited from this initiative,” she said.
Celebrating engineers
The Chief Operating Officer of the Ghana Commission of UNESCO, Appolonius Asare, said UNESCO saw the need to observe March 4 every year as World Engineering Day for sustainable development because of how vital engineering was to the world.
On this day, engineers from all over the world reflect on their contribution to advancing knowledge in their field and how they achieved global impact through technology transfer and training opportunities.
The Provost of the College of Engineering of the KNUST, Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, spoke to the students on the role engineering students could play in national development.
“Our basic mandate as engineers and aspiring engineers is to identify problems and innovatively provide solutions to such complex problems. Engineering makes the world go round and innovation is the backbone of all engineering,” he said.
This year's celebration brought together 748 engineering students and aspiring engineering students from six senior high schools in the Kumasi metropolis and students from the KNUST.