The minority spokesperson on Trade & Industry Michael Teye Nyaunu is advocating a major shift in the focus of graduates from looking for jobs to creating jobs for themselves.
Honourable Nyaunu says the mentality of the average Ghanaian student remains, going to school, getting good grades and landing a good job. Graduates he said are therefore not trained and prepared to start their own business after school.
The NDC MP for Lower Manya Krobo and Ranking member on the Trade & Industry Committee said the educational system is concentrated solely on books without the requisite practical training. This results in many graduates delivering poorly on the job market although they might have come out of school with very excellent grades in their respective subjects.
Mr. Nyaunu said many graduates are unemployed because they all look up to securing jobs in the formal sector, where there is keen competition for the limited number of spaces available.
“The number of graduates being churned out in Ghana annually is in several thousands and not commensurate with the vacancies available. Most graduates do not fit into some of the available vacancies, like in industries, due to insufficient training.”
The MP said graduates lack orientation towards going into business or doing something for themselves partly because entrepreneurship is not incorporated in their training. He encouraged graduates to start something on their own instead of looking for non existent jobs.
He called on stakeholders in the educational sector to come together and think the way forward to ensure that graduate unemployment is reduced.
