The quest for a profitable job, and the aspiration of every final-year student to live their dreams have encouraged a team of final-year students from the University of Ghana Education Department to join forces to address the challenges of job hunting.
The team has established a company called ‘Skills Synergy Company’ as part of their academic requirements under the supervision of Dr Cecelia Tutu-Danquah.
As part of their initiative, the team organized a seminar on 12th July, 2024 dubbed ‘Staying Ahead in a Changing World’ as an avenue to create insightful conversations on how to equip students with valuable skills for the job market.
Guest Speaker for the seminar, Mr. Patrick Sarpong, who is the Trade Marketing Head for Wilmar Africa Limited highlighted the importance of utilizing available resources to develop well-rounded skill sets encompassing both hard skills and soft skills.
“One key thing that I have known throughout my career is that learning does not stop. We don’t have an end to education and as we are about to transition from academia to the corporate world, one of the things you need to look at is the hard skills that you need. Most of us are on social media…I am not saying that it’s bad but the time that you use to watch videos and laugh, you can use the same time to upgrade yourself, to learn a thing or two. These are things that will not be taught in the classroom. Degrees are very important but you also need to develop soft skills as well as your hard skills and continue to learn to be a better person.”
Also speaking at the seminar, Christian Kwabena Koranteng, a representative from ALX, pointed out that opportunities often present themselves as challenges requiring dedication and effort.
“Life is hard. The world is hard but then does it mean you need to stop living? …opportunities don’t happen, you create them. Sometimes the opportunity is created for you but you need to take a chance. Why would you bother doing anything else apart from living life the way you want, by chasing your dreams?”
“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life you dream. It takes time to do anything worthwhile and it’s not just time, it takes a lot of hard work. You need to have the right mindset, the can-do spirit, the never-give-up spirit, and force your way through. Because again, opportunities disguise themselves as hard work.”
CEO of Britech Solutions and BEEMA packaging solutions, Bright Kojo Sackey also stressed the importance of saving, highlighting its role in building a financial foundation for future investments and entrepreneurial ventures.
He used himsef as an example, citing how he used his savings generated from his income to invest and start his business.
In addition, CEO of Kengies CustomCreations, Angela Yabani cautioned young entrepreneurs against giving away products freely to friends and family, emphasizing the importance of establishing a sustainable business model.
A member of the team that created the Skill Synergy company, Gabriel Kotei Djanie, explained the team’s desire to use their platform and opportunity to empower and create opportunities for those in need of such opportunities.
