Train students in requisite skills to secure jobs — Constance Swaniker

Founder of Design and Technology Institute (DTI), Constance Swaniker, has underscored the need for schools on the African continent to train students in requisite skills that will secure them jobs in the emerging economy.

She said as a continent with the most youthful workforce, multinational companies would be relying on Africa for specialised skills, hence the need for stakeholders in the education sector to refine its curricula to include skills training to meet the needs of industry.

She was speaking at the ninth Practical Christianity Hangout (PCH) session of the New Wine Temple of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC) at East Legon last Wednesday.

The hangout session is the latest in a series to be organised by the church which partners other organisations to invite leaders and industry players for practical conversations about critical factors for personal and professional development, as well as the role of faith in their journeys of success.

It was on the theme: “Making a difference and exploring untapped job opportunities.”

Ms Swaniker, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Accents & Arts, explained that most graduates were unemployed mainly because the knowledge they acquired in school did not match the readily available jobs.

“There are highly specialised manufacturing companies emerging but what is missing is skills mismatch.

“We are not training young people to take on the jobs available because our curriculum does not meet the needs of industry,” she added.

Ms Swaniker further said that the negative perception about Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), which she said held the key to addressing youth unemployment must change.

“If you are going to talk about changing the narrative, then the way we package the whole sector really needs to be looked at,” she said. 

Advice  

A medical doctor and carpenter, Dr Isaac Newman Arthur, who spoke about leveraging different talents to create multiple income streams, advised the youth to be intentional about identifying and nurturing their talents for God to help them.

He defined success as a product of human effort and divine intervention.  

“Don’t become overly dependent on others and the system; discover who you are and be able to do the things you love to become successful”, Dr Arthur added. 

Job

For his part, the Senior Pastor of the church, Albert Ocran, said work had it roots from the holy books, adding “If somebody is committed to work, we must look at how to create opportunities for them”.

He said the PCH intervention had been designed by the church to help young people interact with leaders from various sectors of the economy to guide them in their quest to establish and secure jobs.