University Offers Job Opportunities for Students

The Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) has launched its 10th Career Info Shop Fair in Accra to offer students career guidance, counseling and job opportunities.

The Fair, on the theme; “Securing a Future in a Technology Driven Economy,” sought to offer students internship opportunities in both technological and non-technological firms.

Professor Emmanuel Ohene Afoakwa, the Acting President of the GTUC, said the Fair would expose students to technology and how it had driven several economies across the globe, including Africa.

However, he said, the main objective was to provide students with relevant information on how to make career choices and identify unique areas and opportunities that were yet to be explored.

“I encourage you to take full advantage of the Fair – Look into alternative ways to cultivate your career actively, engage with prospective employers to understand how their various industries work and learn about their requirements to enable you to prepare adequately to become part of their organisations,” he said.

Prof Afoakwa told the students that the best time to prepare their future was now, quoting, Malcolm X, an American Human Rights Activist, who said: “Education is the best passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today”.

Dr Ellen M. Hagan, the Chief Executive of L’aine Services Limited, a Human Resource Management (HRM) Company, in a keynote address, said technological advancement had partly led to the under-employment of skilled personnel, as the work humans could do years ago were currently being done with technology.

She, therefore, advised HRM institutions to adopt ways to ensure that in the midst of enhanced technologies, people did not lose their jobs.

She urged employers to adopt policies, social security schemes, taxation systems, and ethical mandate to secure the welfare of their employees, adding that; “Advanced technology can be positive if we make it so”.

Dr Hagan said it was necessary for the state to make a commitment on the use of technology by capitalising the welfare of the youth and creating more jobs.

However, the youth should be given entrepreneurial skills so as to create jobs for others.

“We need to make the youth think that they all don’t need to get jobs, rather, they also need to create jobs for others.” 

Mrs Evelyn Asiedu, the Head of the Student Affairs Unit, said in 2009, the Unit organised the first career fair, which was an initiative to address students’ challenge of finding placement for internship during the long vacation.

She explained that the GTUC Career Fair, in 2015, was rebranded GTUC Career Info Shop, after it was realised that companies were reluctant to participate, citing their inability to take on interns.

In the same year, Mrs Asiedu said, a Self-Development session was introduced for students to interact with entrepreneurs, counsellors, career coaches, grooming specialists among others to inspire them.

Fifty companies, professional bodies and groups participated in the Fair comprising DHL, the National Communication Authority, Data Bank, Fidelity Bank, Societe Generale, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Airtel Tigo, Vodafone, Surfline, and Jobberman Ghana Limited.

Others were Emezak, Priority Express Services, Ghana Armed Forces, Kofi Annan ICT Centre, International Cultural Youth Exchange and Pioneer Cereals.

Soure: Ghana News Agency