The problem of graduate unemployment has been in existence for a long time. This has become pronounced with more private universities springing up and the job market getting choked.

The issue has been compounded by complaints by many employers that graduates from tertiary institutions have not been trained for the job market.

About 250, 000 young people enter Ghana's job market annually, but less than 5000, 2%, are able to find employment in the formal sector.

This leaves 98% unemployed or to survive in the informal sector on unsecured income.

To help reduce this trend, the University of Ghana Business Counselling and Placement Center will be holding series of programs targeted at graduates.

The project seeks to implement a strategy to promote economic opportunities for the youth in Ghana.

Speaking on JoyNews MultiTV's News Desk, Jocelence Buckman, Director, Counselling and Placement Center at the University of Ghana, noted that during an Industry Academia Forum held earlier this year, the issue of graduate unemployment came up strongly.

According to her, giving students the opportunity to have a practical feel of what pertains at their prospective workplace was considered as one of the ways to arrest the situation.

"In so doing we believe that either we will help them create jobs or we might equip them with employability skills. So whichever way, they win because they either create their own jobs and employ others or they are much more marketable on the job market. This is just to complement their classroom education," she said.

This initiative is to give students a hands-on training that would give them the chance to practice what they are taught in school. It would also equip students who have the acumen to start their own businesses.