Koforidua (E/R), July 25, GNA – The Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), in partnership with Absa Bank, has launched e-learning modules to enhance the education knowledge and skills development of young men and women to be competitive in the job market.
The modules, which could be accessed using readytowork.absa.Africa, were introduced at a ready-to-work enrolment workshop at Koforidua Technical University (KTU).
Over 250,000 young people in Africa had benefited significantly from the readytowork programme, which began five years ago by Absa Bank.
Mrs Priscilla Yeboah, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Absa Bank, said the bank had been developing a proprietary toolkit called the “Absa ReadytoWork Programme,” an online learning programme to help young people between 16 and 35 years of age who were transitioning from school to the workforce.
She said the readytowork programme had four basic modules; the work skills module, people’s skills module, money skills module, and entrepreneurial skills module.
She explained how young people could use their free time and space to study the courses under the modules by logging on to readytowork.absa.africa.
Some topics embedded in the modules included, “Get yourself work ready; find ways of working together; improve your money management skills and begin the journey to self-sufficiency.”
Users of the E-learning platform would receive certificates after passing a test on the courses they had taken as part of the four modules, she said.
Participants at the workshop downloaded the Absa ReadytoWork app from the Google Play Store, registered it, and then chose a topic from one of the modules to discuss and present on.
Mr Evans Korletey-Tene, Ghana Library Authority’s Eastern Regional Director, stated that the GhLA had been strategic and responsive to Ghanaians’ literacy needs, resulting in partnerships with many stakeholders such as Absa Bank to provide learning opportunities for all.
“There’s a vast gap between academia and job work. Most brilliant students after graduation are not able to perform well in the job due to their inability to transition from academia into the working world,” he said. “So, the Absa readytowork programme is therefore meant to bridge that gap.”
He also stated that the GhLA now has 111 libraries across the country, and that the reach of Ghanaians was expanding because of the launch of the Ghana Library mobile application in 2019.
“It is a free digital library app available on the play store for download, giving readers the ability to access E-books, listen to audio books, and watch educative videos in a few simple steps,” he said.
Dr Eugene Kwakye, Head of the Department for Secretariat and Management Studies at Koforidua Technical University, thanked the organisers and encouraged students to take their studies seriously.
“I advise you students that there is life out there. There is one thing you should study in the classroom and another thing to survive out there, so you should hook up the E-learning programme to enhance your understanding of life.”
A citation of appreciation was presented by the university to Absa Bank and the Ghana Library Authority.
GNA