The President of the Presbyterian University College (PUC) Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng has observed that effective career guidance programmes in secondary and tertiary schools could help reduce graduate unemployment.
According to him, the lack of effective career guidance and development programmes to provide the needed information about the job market and direction to graduates has contributed to the high rate of graduate unemployment.
[contextly_sidebar id=”CZl1DdHZDbFKcwYKj35JsWkrGJIpviJI”]He also mentioned that there was a mismatch between the output of universities and the labour needs of industry because most of private universities are offering similar programmes leading to over production of graduates in some of the programmes.
Professor Adow Obeng, the new President of the PUC, was speaking at the 8th congregation of the school for 667 people who graduated with bachelor’s degrees from nine programmes at Abetifi in the Kwahu East District.
He emphasized the importance of the career guidance and counselling in ensuring graduates chose the right programmes and exhibit excellence particularly good communication skills and critical thinking to become relevant for the job market.
He disclosed that, many employers had pointed out the unrealistic expectations and demands of young employees in the face of the apparent lack of requisite skills and experience and has thus called on higher institutions to invest in that area to help address graduate unemployment.
He said PUC is being mindful of that critical component in higher education had set up Life Values Promotion Centre through its chaplaincy.
Stella Okoh, an alumni and guest speaker, urged graduates to expand their horizon by using the skills acquired to create their own jobs rather than relying on government or the private sector as a means to reduce graduate unemployment.
She also urged universities to partner corporate institutions to offer regular internship and attachments to their students so that by the time they left school, they would have had the practical experience to guide them in seeking for jobs.
Source: GNA