With the churning out of graduates each year in an economy which has very little job openings, many students are faced with an uncertain future as graduation approaches with the prospects of job searching and securing an employment.
It is believed that about 250,000 enter into the labour market each year with only as little as per cent gaining successful employment making the issue of unemployment a major concern for stakeholders nationally as it adds to arrears from previous years.
It is therefore important that these students will be equipped with skills that will enable them excel in their chosen fields of profession.
Having realized the enormity of graduate unemployment the students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Business during the celebration of their Business Week organized a forum to discuss the way forward in finding solutions and also think of innovative ways to make the business school graduates more productive in solving the unemployment problem.
The theme for the celebration was “Growing the Entrepreneurial Zeal of the Business Student” and it sought to among others, encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in the students.
The forum was sponsored by the GCB Bank Limited as part of its corporate social responsibility programmme towards education and the youth.
The Special Guest Speaker for the forum, Mr. Samuel Sarpong, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the GCB Bank who is also a product of KNUST in his address, entreated students to think outside the box and be innovative in order to make themselves more relevant for the employment market and also create job opportunities to solve national problems.
He advised the students to venture into other fields as innovative ways of solving major problems such as the use of the internet landscape.
He also encouraged them to embrace partnership in business ventures as this makes for easier for investment purposes.
Mr. Sarpong attached significance to youth development and the growth of the country when he said, “Ghana needs young minds like you to fulfill the Ghanaian dream.”
Mr. Sarpong said the Bank is committed to helping the youth and young entrepreneurs to realise their dreams through its various products tailored to these purpose.
He said GCB has great facilities such as startup loans and SME loans which do not require collateral and urged young entrepreneurs to take advantage of.
He said a start-up capital of GHS 50,000.00 is available such young men and women to access to either create new jobs or expand existing ones.
On behalf of the Management of the Bank, Mr Sarpong e made a donation of GH¢5,000.00 to the KNUST School of Business a gesture.
In their acceptance of the donation, the president of the Graduate Student body of KSB, Miss Aseye Sepenu, promised to take up the challenge and keep Mr. Sarpong and the GCB Bank updated of their progress.
The forum was attended by Deans, Lecturers, representatives of professional bodies, the media, the KSB student body and representatives of GCB Bank mainly from the KNUST branch and the Kumasi Regional office.
GCB also used the opportunity to sign up students of the KNUST Business School to the E-zwich card system as well as open Students Accounts.
A team from the KNUST spoke to students on the importance of having an E-zwich card and banking with GCB.