IT is a major skill needed for the job market - Industry Players  

Industry Players have underscored the urgent need for Managements of Tertiary Institutions, to integrate Information Technology (IT) in their programmes to provide students with the skills needed for the contemporary job market.

They made the call at an event on the “Employer Skills Seminar (EMSIS) micro project,” organised by the Industrial Liaison Office of the Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU).

It was supported by the Education Collaborative and Ashesi University on the BTU campus and aimed to prepare students for the job market.

The event was the Fifth faculty-based seminar with beneficiary students coming from the school of Business and Management Studies (SOBAMS).

They said with the current trend, it would be difficult for fresh graduates to get employed without having skills in IT.

Mr Fuseini Nantogma, the Finance Officer of the Garu District Assembly, said with the introduction of the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), all government transactions and expenditure were automated.

He said all professionals who were heads of the various departments of the state institutions such as an Accountant, Procurement Officer, Planner, Secretary, Transportation Officer needed to acquire skills in IT before one could function effectively.

Mr Fidelis Amobire, a Procurement Officer of the Bolgatanga East District Assembly, narrated the challenges some of his colleagues who did not have IT skills went through during the introduction of GIFMIS, saying, such persons were forced to learn, to save them from being dismissed.

Mr Samuel Aduko, the Director of Procurement of BTU, stated that Heads of Department of State institutions were required to validate their staff on monthly basis and likewise, Private Sectors including financial institutions also relied heavily on IT in their operations.

He underscored the need for students to take the study of IT very seriously since it was one of the gateways of securing employment.

“Whether you are an Accountancy student, Procurement student, Secretaryship and Management student, Agriculture student, Building and Technology student, Industrial Art student, you need to acquire IT skills,” he said.

Mr Alexis Ayamdor, the Project Lead, explained that the decision of his outfit to organise the seminars was that a Tracer study was conducted in 2022 which revealed that only 30 per cent of BTU students who graduated from the school in 2019 got employed.

He urged BTU to partner with Education Collaborative and Ashesi University under the Employability and Career services programme to initiate this intervention.

Mr Ayamdor said extra curriculum activities played a major role in career success and applauded Education Collaborative through Ashesi University for supporting with a grant of 3,000.000 US dollars to implement the project.

He entreated the students to be very assertive and confident and not to be timid in undertaking any school or public assignment.

Professor Theophilus Azungah, the Dean of School of Business and Management Studies, commended the Industrial Players for spending their time to share such valuable and informative experiences about the job market and urged the students to make good use of what they had acquired from the seminar.

He said the series of seminars fell in line with the University's Strategic Plan and thanked the implementing department (Industrial Liaison office) and the donors for the support.

The students who were drawn from the School of Business and Management Studies included Accounting & Finance, Procurement and Logistic Management, Secretaryship and Management, Liberal studies, Marketing and Communication academic departments and were also schooled on the Code of Ethics of the Civil Servants.

GNA