By Yussif Ibrahim
Kumasi Sept. 08, GNA – Parents must take a leading role in equipping their children with practical skills and knowledge of the family trade to prepare them for self-employment after school, Dr Emmanuel Osei Boakye, a Lecturer at the Christ Apostolic University College (CAUC), has advised.
He said parents and families remained the primary providers of livelihood opportunities for their children and should, therefore, expose them to practical skills and indigenous apprenticeship alongside formal education.
Dr. Boakye, who is also the Head of Research at the Manhyia Palace Museum, said relying solely on government and the limited formal-sector jobs to absorb graduates was contributing to the growing unemployment challenge in the country.
He made the call when he spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during the CAUC Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Business Week Celebration in Kumasi, on the theme: “Innovative Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development in Ghana.”
He said Ghana’s traditional apprenticeship system had historically equipped young people with practical skills by allowing children to learn trades from their parents and other experienced practitioners.
“Parents are the first providers,” he said, explaining that before the widespread adoption of Western-style formal education, children often acquired practical skills and trades from their parents through apprenticeship.
He said the transition to formal education had gradually weakened that system, with many families now placing greater emphasis on academic qualifications while neglecting practical skills that could provide alternative sources of livelihood.
Dr. Boakye said parents could combine formal education with the practical knowledge and skills associated with their trades to prepare their children for the changing world of work.
“When they finish university, they can take up new technology and bring that new technology to the old technology that you trained them in,” he said.
He explained that such an approach could help modernise traditional businesses, create employment opportunities, and generate income for families.
Dr. Boakye cited food processing as an area where traditional skills could be combined with modern knowledge and technology to create viable businesses.
He said agricultural products such as tomatoes and pepper could be processed into powder and other value-added products to extend their shelf life and create employment.
He urged parents engaged in farming, trading, baking, craftsmanship and other businesses to consider training their children in those areas instead of expecting government to provide jobs for them after graduation.
The Lecturer said the country’s educational system must also place greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation to enable graduates to become job creators rather than job seekers.
He said the increasing number of graduates produced annually could not be matched by the limited number of available formal-sector jobs.
Dr. Boakye also urged universities to expose students to contemporary business tools, including digital marketing and artificial intelligence (AI), to enable them to modernise traditional businesses and reach wider markets.
He said the CAUC SRC Business Week Celebration was, therefore, important in helping to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and its practical application in the world of work.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim