The UG-SRC Skill-UP for Jobs Bootcamp training, which was initiated by the leadership of the 2021/22 SRC, has started with an initial 300 participants selected for the Tech and Digital skills cluster over the weekend on August 27, 2022.
The innovative experiential training and exposure programme has been designed to train, inspire and equip students with job creation skills. The training programme is being implemented by Global Entrepreneurship Network-Ghana (GEN-Ghana), with support from a project advisory board and institutional partners from University of Ghana and Industry.
The training comprises in-person practical skills, which focuses on sequential employability skills in four clusters, namely: Creative Arts, Food business | Agri Business, Tech | Digital skills, and Micro-manufacturing, will be interspersed with virtual sessions on steps to start-ups and business sustainability strategies.
In all 1000 students have been screened and selected to be trained in 20 sectors under the four clusters. Prior to this weekend’s practical training, the 1000 students were given orientation by members of the programme’s advisory board, led by Dr. Henry O. Sintim (Senior Research Fellow at University of Ghana) and Mr. Stephen Gyasi-Kwaw (Country Founder/MD of GEN-Ghana) on the contents of the 20 sectors, including the job market outlook.
Other members of the Advisory board on standby support include Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann (Dean, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Ghana); Ms. Bernice Bonney (Manager, Financial Serivices – PwC Ghana); Ms. Rodarling Neequaye (Assistant Registrar at University of Ghana); Mr. Richard Anim (Managing Partner Coral Reef Innovation Hub); and Mr. John Appiah, (Founder| CEO Aleague Consult).
During this initial training, top notch trainers from the tech and digital skills industry introduced 50 students each to one of the selected training sectors, namely: Digital marketing | e-commerce, Web design | development, Coding, Data analytics, Drone piloting and Microsoft Office suite.
The bootcamp training programme in all 20 sectors will continue in a hybrid mode with both practical training sessions and virtual expositions during the month of September. The participants will be coached to apply and showcase the acquired skill in independent micro-projects at the end of the training as a prototype on proof of concepts. The programme will be climaxed with a Skills for Job Summit on 30th September, 2022.
“The UG-SRC Skill-Up for Jobs is a perfect example of what academia and the private sector can do together to deal with the menace of graduate unemployment in Ghana. We encourage individuals, philanthropists and corporate Ghana to support the students to acquire this experiential income-earning skills,” says Stepehen Gyasi-Kwaw (Country Founder GEN-Ghana and project lead implementing partner).
The President of the SRC, Prince Asumadu, who is passionate about the project, said during the weekend that the UG SRC 2021-22 will change the graduate unemployment narrative with this legacy project which seeks to ‘skill up’ UG students with income-earning skills to become entrepreneurs and/or employable after graduating from school.
This ongoing project, which offers 1000 scholarships to the trainees, requires financial support from individuals, corporate organisations, development agencies, public sector institutions and the UG Alumni community to lend a hand to make a change together. You may support the project by donating at the project website. https://ugsrcskillupforjobs.com/donate/ or via short code *887*17# on all local networks in Ghana,” says Prince Asumadu, President UG-SRC 2021-2022.
UG-SRC
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) is the umbrella body of all undergraduate students at the University of Ghana, Legon. The SRC, as the official mouthpiece of the entire student body, advocates for the interests of students and fosters their welfare as well. The SRC communicates the interests of students to authorities and represents the student populace on the university council and other boards.
Also, it coordinates the activities of academic, cultural, religious, political and recreational clubs and societies. The SRC also fosters good relations between students of the university and the outside world by coordinating with other student organisations in Ghana and elsewhere in matters of mutual interest. In recent times, the SRC has assumed more prominently the added role of being development partners of the university and the Ghanaian society at large.
GEN-Ghana
Global Entrepreneurship Network – Ghana (GEN-Ghana) is an entrepreneurship and innovation advancement organisation that provides and promotes a platform of local/ international programmes and activities aimed at making it easier for anyone to start and scale a sustainable business.
We work by fostering deeper cross-border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policy-makers and entrepreneurial support organisations. We work with governments, corporations, NGOs and development agencies to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, wealth, educate individuals, and accelerate innovations for sustainable social and economic impact.
GEN-Ghana is a company limited by guarantee under the laws of Ghana, registered in March 2010. We are a member of Global Entrepreneurship Network which operates in over 160 countries independently, working to build one entrepreneurial ecosystem around the world.
