Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme dean of students, Professor Kofi Owusu-Daaku
Beneficiary students of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme (MCFSP) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), have been told to not under-estimate entrepreneurship-focused education.
Professor Kofi Owusu-Daaku, former Dean of Students and Lead for the MCFSP, said the global job market had become more technological, innovative and competitive – presenting a minimal chance of survival for graduates without entrepreneurial training.
With these complexities, he said, university students ought to be prepared to take up new roles and responsibilities while demonstrating ingenuity in their career development, if they were to meet the demands for the future workforce.
“The reality is that graduates with the acumen for creativity and hands-on entrepreneurial skill sets are more likely to succeed on the job market,” Prof. Owusu-Daaku told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Kumasi.
This was on the sidelines of the MCFSP’s ongoing annual ‘Summer Skills Training Programme’, also dubbed ‘Summer Camp’, being hosted at the KNUST.
This year’s week-long Camp is seeking to equip the Scholars with practical skills training on make-up artistry, satellite installation, photography and video editing, yoghurt production as well as bee-keeping, snail and mushroom farming.
The other modules are graphic design, App development, beading, soap-making, catering, millinery and packaging, screen printing, batik, tie and dye.
Prof. Owusu-Daaku said universities played a crucial role in underpinning innovation and entrepreneurial activities.
Consequently, the KNUST would work with stakeholders to create the needed platform for the students to acquire new skills in helping them to venture into self-employment after graduation, he assured.
Mr. Chris Boakye Yiadom, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pizzaman Chicken Man, a food-selling company, in a motivational speech at the opening ceremony of the programme, took the students through the challenges and prospects in entrepreneurship.
“Great entrepreneurs are tasked to discover new problems, reveal potential niche opportunities, refactor their original business process and innovate,” he noted.
He cited time management, strategic thinking, efficiency, resilience and communication, networking and good financial management as some of the attributes one needed to succeed on the job market.
Ms. Afia Ampomah Awuah, Programmes Manager, MCFSP at KNUST, said graduates now more than ever needed to show prospective employers that they had a more rounded educational background.
The Summer Camp, she said, had therefore been designed to add value to the training of the Scholars as they sought to widen the scope of their knowledge as university students.