Jobberman Ghana on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, participated in the maiden edition of the round table discussion organized by Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA), on the topic “The Challenges: Youth Employability & Skills Gab”, held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Ghana.
Sharing her thoughts on the subject matter, Jemima, Ashitey, Marketing & Campaign Manager, Jobberman Ghana pointed out that currently, the type of unemployment the youth in Ghana is facing is as a result of educated and technological unemployment.
She explained that we live in a country where each year over 1000s of young energetic graduates complete their tertiary education from various institutions and are ready to work.
Meanwhile, there are over 1000’s graduates who completed school in previous years and are still not employed. Some are even underemployed because they are not getting the jobs that suit what they learnt in school. So they have no option but to settle for any type of work.
She continued that, the world keeps changing and per the new norm, different sets of skills have become a requisite need for specific job functions.
“Job search we say is work on it and we find ourselves in a competitive market, so if you have no proficiency regarding technology, it will be difficult finding a job and making use of tech tools.
For instance, the photographer in today’s world is not just taking pictures, but rather, making use of digital tools to enhance his work. Marketing has evolved and in today’s era of communications, advertising and marketing you need to inculcate digital strategies and this shows how it has become necessary for the youth to be ready for the job market with the required digital skills set”, she said.
She added that some young graduates have unrealistic expectations when job hunting. Citing that these graduates look out for outrageous salaries with little or no experience for the job at hand.
“I think graduates must understand the job market and the industry and lower their expectations when it comes to salary/ remuneration and benefits, rather, focus more on sharpening their skills and acquiring the needed skill and experience which will increase their value on the job market,” Jemima stated.
She finally advised graduates currently job hunting, to take seriously how to market themselves with a well-written CV, since the only way one can get the attention of recruiters and potential employers is through a CV.
On his part, MD for Uniliver Ghana, George Owusu Ansah, stated that the world of work is very competitive, yet if the youth would be disciplined and develop the attitude of continuous learning.
He concluded that young graduates should have an entrepreneurial mindset and should inculcate the desire to get things done.
“Young graduates should remember that in order to rise high in the world of work, they need humility to learn, and the pride to deliver. If you have integrity, respect, and a sense of responsibility, you will definitely go far. Never be content that you tried. Always focus on getting results”, he added.
Abigail Welbeck, Career Counselling Director at the Ashesi University, also revealed that her outfit is collaborating with other tertiary institutions to share their learnings and called on, education stakeholders to involve tertiary institutions in the aspect of taking action and commit to helping one another to build the future graduates with employability skills that suit the labor market.
Prior to the round table and networking session, the CEO of Jobberman Ghana, Hilda Nimo-Tieku, joined the ESSA team for the official launch of ESSA in Ghana, at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The launch brought together policymakers, educators, students, and funders across the tertiary education space in Sub-Saharan Africa.
