Professor Gabriel Teye, Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), has called on industry to partner universities and the government, to work together to address the graduate unemployment situation facing the country.
He said, “Given the high rate of unemployed graduates, it is important to adopt public private partnerships especially in the training of graduates,” to fit into the job market.
Prof Teye made the call when delivering his address during the 17th congregation of UDS in Tamale on Saturday where a total of 1,923 students from its Tamale, Nyankpala and Navrongo Campuses graduated with diplomas, degrees and postgraduate degrees in various fields.
Last week, 1,789 students of the Wa campus of UDS also graduated with diplomas, degrees and postgraduates degrees in various fields.
Prof Teye said it was industry that knew what skills and competencies it needed and what it took to make one employable.
“This is why industry and universities must work together to adapt the curriculum to the needs of industry so that graduates leave the university ready for work.”
He said, “When this is effectively done with each one of them leveraging its comparative advantage, then the challenge of graduate unemployment will be addressed. It is important for industry to join government in owning the unemployment problem in the country and not leave it solely to the government.”
Prof Teye commended government for granting tertiary institutions the approval to recruit staff to undertake their operations but added that the quota given UDS was very small.
He, therefore, appealed to government “To consider the case of UDS that it is still very young and growing and grant it the opportunity to recruit additional staff to enable it fulfil its mandate”.
Prof Kwesi Botchwey, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, who represented President John Mahama at the event, advised graduates to work to overcome the challenges of the country.
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Source: GNA