Prof. Darkwa urges higher educational institutions to produce employable graduates

Accra, June 18, GNA - Higher educational institutions which train the labour force have a role to play in ensuring that their products are well-equipped with employable skills, Professor Osei Darkwa, the President of Ghana Telecom University College, has said.

He said successive governments had rolled out several models and initiatives aimed at job creation, however, those policies and programmes had yielded little or no impact.

Prof. Darkwa said this at the weekend during the eighth graduation ceremony of the Pentecost University College (PUC) in Accra on the theme: 'Economic Growth and Job Creation: The Role of Private Universities'.

A total of 285 students graduated from the Faculty of Theology and Mission, Faculty of Engineering, Science and Computing as well as the Faculty of Business Administration.

Prof Darkwa said private universities had even much greater responsibility to turn out the calibre of graduates required by industry by ensuring that they acquired entrepreneurial skills to remain relevant.

Her said one area the universities, particularly the private ones, could explore was Information Communication Technology (ICT) to contribute meaningfully towards economic growth and job creation.

He noted that ICT stimulated economic growth and boosted job creation and it was important for government to put in place the necessary policies and infrastructure for educational institutions to leverage on ICT to make their products employable.

Prof Darkwa urged the graduands to believe in themselves, confront the opportunities and challenges in the world, and bear in mind that the choices they made would determine where they would be in future.

'We believe your training here at PUC has given you knowledge and moulded your perception about life and its experiences and we have every confidence that this training will be put to excellent use," he added.

Apostle Dr Daniel Okyere Walker, the Rector of PUC, said the current unemployment situation in Ghana could be described as alarming which was threatening the stability of the nation.

He said this, therefore, called for the mobilisation of all segments of society to combat the menace through job creation.

Dr Walker said the Government had indicated that there would be 'One-District One-Factory' aimed at enhancing the livelihood of the citizenry, however, it was worth nothing that if the jobs were created, qualified, competent and skilled workers would be needed.

He said government alone was incapable of training the nation's labour force and called on the private institutions to join in the provision of skills that would be useful to the 'One-District One-Factory' policy.

Dr. Walker said PUC, over a decade, had produced a substantial number of graduates who were excelling in the fields of business, politics, academia and health.

He urged graduands to give back to society adding "shun nepotism, corruption, lawlessness, laziness, impatience and injustice, and embrace virtues such as hard work, innovation, creativity, teamwork and integrity".

GNA

By Iddi Yire, GNA