PUC reiterates commitment to producing employable graduates
Accra, March 27, GNA – The PentecostUniversity College (PUC) has reiterated its commitment to producing employable graduates to help accelerate Ghana’s socio-economic development.
“We have consciously put in measures toimprove the standard of education to enhance the employability of our products,” Apostle Dr Daniel Okyere Walker, PUC Rector stated at the University’s 14th matriculation ceremony for the February Intake, on the theme: “Enhancing Graduate Employment: The Entrepreneurial Agenda”.
He said there was a clarion call to make university education more relevant to our place of work; and that it was PUC’s aim to provide its students with quality education and training that will be useful in their future development.
Dr Walker said it was about time Ghanaian universities tied their programmes and activities to the needs of the economy and society; shifting from producing students who were only bent on going around looking for employment, to producing graduates who were entrepreneurially-minded.
He said the University had established initiatives such as College Assembly, Mentorship and Internship Programmes, Community Project and Entrepreneurial Week.
He explained that all were aimed at enhancing employability and developing entrepreneurial mind set of students.
The PUC Rector noted that with the call for ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’, government’s initiatives such as the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP) geared towards changing the economic fortunes of Ghana was laudable.
He explained that such initiatives created the conducive and business-friendly environment needed to support especially start-ups and small businesses, which would boost entrepreneurial, industrial and manufacturing drive to bring about the vision.
Dr Walker said PUC’s programmes such as those of the College Assembly and Mentorships were geared towards developing the moral character of the students to serve with integrity.
“We believe that if in the place of corruption, integrity becomes a value that permeates the rank and file of society, development will take place and Ghana can indeed go beyond aid,” he
added.
He said in that regard PUC students had a role to play; as the 21st century student should be knowledgeable, focused, smarter, and one who was aware of the global nature of the world.
Dr Walker noted that as a University, they pledged to guide and mentor students to grow well; and therefore encouraged matriculants to aim at excellence.
Mr David Asumadu-Boateng, Director of IT at the Ashesi University, said Universities should partner private organisations and the public sector to invest in skill development programmes and incubation
centres to give students the creative and logistical space needed to set up viable start-up companies.
He said while acknowledging that education was a key component in bringing about socio-economic re-modelling, the nature of the education itself needed to be critically examined if it was to play its expected role in the country.
Mr Asumadu-Boateng, who was the guest speaker for the occasion, suggested to the Office of Student Support Services of PUC to encourage multiple participation of internships, work place visits and work
experience placement per student.
He pointed that it should not be a one-time activity as a requirement for graduation, but a continuous item each year, especially during vacations.
The Director of IT said technology could not be taken out, as every sector was using technology to facilitate their operations for efficiency and profitability.
“I therefore urge teaching faculty to integrate ICT tools, Softwares, Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions that are common in the disciplines and courses they deliver; for example every accounting student should know how to use one accounting software before graduation,” he said.
A total of 169 students were matriculated for the 2017/2018 academic year, to pursue various undergraduate and post graduate degree programmes available at PUC.
Source: GNA
