Fiapre, (B/A), Nov. 29, GNA – Mr Daniel Mckorley, Chief Executive Officer of the McDan Group of Companies at the weekend urged universities to build partnerships with business entrepreneurs to create avenues for students to undertake practical work.
Universities should be innovative enough, introducing curricula that would produce and well-positioned graduates to become successful entrepreneurs and help tackle the rising graduate unemployment in the country, he said.
Mr Mckorley gave the advice when he addressed the 20th matriculation and 30th congregation of the Catholic University College of Ghana (CUCG) held at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality.
A total of 512, comprising 268 undergraduates and 244 post-graduate students were graduated, while 800 fresh students were admitted into the University’s 2021/2022 academic year to pursue diploma and degree programmes.
Mr Mckorley, who said he had 7,400 employees indicated that though the theoretical and grammar aspect of education remained essentials of life, entrepreneurship training held the key to addressing graduate unemployment, saying universities ought to re-focus and prioritize entrepreneurship.
This requires that universities and successful entrepreneurs must build effective partnerships to provide avenues and opportunities for final year students to do hands-on practical work.
Touching on attitude, Mr Mckorley said good attitudes demystified the road to success in all spheres of life and advised the graduates to respect time, remain loyal and discipline, saying good morals, godliness, and perseverance remained imperative for any successful entrepreneur.
“About 70 per cent of anybody’s wealth comes from attitude, 25 per cent skills and only five per cent of knowledge”, he told the graduates.
Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister, said the government recognised and appreciated the contributions of the Catholic Church, as a key partner of development.
“Happily this institution has raised a lot of great personalities who are contributing massively to the development of this country in their various fields of study”, the Regional Minister stated.
Professor Daniel Obeng-Ofori, the President, said the CUCG was transforming itself, and harnessing the Catholic quality brand to become a globally competitive and student-centered teaching and learning institution.
“We are determined to become a scholarly research environment where creativity, innovation, and service to the community are the hallmarks. Being a globally competitive university means the provision of holistic education to make our staff and products versatile and competitive in the global market”, he said.
“As one of the leading private faith-based tertiary institutions in Ghana, the CUCG must embrace and influence our responsibility of producing the next generation of men and women of knowledge and wisdom to drive national development through innovative teaching and learning methods”.
In this regard, Prof Obeng-Ofori indicated the CUCG was implementing excellent education processes and standards, committed to the use of international pedagogies in course delivery, ensuring industry integration, and carrying out research to create new knowledge.
These would promote innovation and creativity to enable students to achieve the right high-quality skillset and integrate them in leadership roles with society and industry.
“We must continue to build a quality culture by implementing systematic academic quality improvement initiatives that will nurture a culture of continuous improvement and strengthen the teaching and learning experience of our students”, he said.
GNA