Technical University students have been advised to develop positive mindset towards technical education as it is the catalyst to readily prepare students for the job market.

The host of the National Science and Math Quiz, Prof.  Elsie Effah Kaufmann, who gave the advice during an Akwaaba Summit organized by the Students Representative Council of Takoradi Technical University in collaboration with the University’s Career and Development Office, said a nation’s biggest problem is its mindset, and the way towards development is changing that mindset.

“Our mindset is our biggest problem. Some young people came to me and asked if I want to change something about Ghana what will it be, and they were thinking I will mention something about sanitation, health care, but I said no. But for me the answer is mindset. If we change our mindset, we can change all other things. If we don’t fix our mindset, you will have equipment, you will have everything, government can spend everything on you but without that mindset shift, we will never be able to progress,” she said.

Speaking on the theme of the Summit; “The Role of Technical Education in Nation Building”, Prof.  Kaufmann, emphasized that technical education equip students with the needed knowledge and skills to help solve problems and make a difference.

“If we are looking at the tertiary level, what technical education is supposed to do is to provide the workforce that is ready to tackle our needs now. So when you get a technical education, you should be positioned to go out there immediately, deploy your knowledge and skills which you acquire in school to address problems and get paid. If we want to develop our country, we have the immediate, intermediate, and short term. If you are blessed to be in a technical institution, like this one, you are ready. When you graduate, you have the knowledge and skills to immediately make a difference,” she added.

She again said failure is a necessity for growth, therefore, advised the students not to see failure as a challenge to give up but rather to build on it.

A political consultant, Onyameba Raymond Atta-Kesson, while sharing his experience at the summit, reemphasized that technical education is the foundation every country needs for economic development.

“Technical education does not just have a role in nation-building; however, technical education is the prerequisite for building a nation. The nations that have advanced are based on mass technical education, so it is rather ironic that in Ghana, we are pursuing industrialization, we are pursuing economic advancement and yet there is a narrative that sidelines technical education. Technical education is the main player; it is the basis and foundation on which every economy can evolve. If you don’t have the manpower, it’s only going to be theory, thus just political talk. If you are talking about advancing your economy, you need skilled hands, you need people with technical knowledge. Having technical knowledge makes you solution-oriented, it makes you a critical thinker,” he said.

Mr. Atta-Kesson, advised students to have the mindset of creating employment for themselves rather than waiting to be employed by an institution.

“The greatest problem we have as Africans, as Ghanaians is our mindset and our attitude. Why do we think somebody owes us? We always think immediately after school that the jobs should already be created for us. We are supposed to be creating jobs as well,” he noted.

He challenged the students to work hard with their acquired skills to create a better life for themselves here in Ghana rather than seeking greener pastures abroad.

“When you go abroad and you are not secured with your hands, you will suffer. You are going to do some cleaning at best; you will get a security job to do. Carpenters, plumbers, and people who have the skills are those making money in European countries. However, some Lawyers and Doctors end up doing security or cleaning but keep it secret. But for those of you who are blessed to be in technical universities, make sure you graduate and have that skill. Before you leave the shores of this country, make sure you put what you have studied to work here…Create a job for yourself or use social media time to research a company and identify a problem in that company and use your expert knowledge to create solutions for them.”, he advised.

On his part, the TTU Dean of Students, Prof. Bruce Amartey Junior, mentioned that technical education is the solution to unemployment in the country. He said technical education grooms people with skills that will aid them in creating jobs for themselves and also have easy means to being employed by others.

“The advantage technical students have is that you can gainfully be employed after school, and that’s the focus…you are trained to be critical thinkers, to be visionaries, to look at the problem and find solutions to them.”

While advising students to identify their passion and direct efforts into developing them, Prof. Amartey urged them to renew their minds on waiting for opportunities to reach them but rather to run after opportunities.

Kokui Selormey, a creative professional who is an Ambassador for Chango, a groundbreaking group contribution and fundraising IT platform, also used the Akwaba Summit to educate students on how the app works and how it is going to be beneficial to students and for that matter, society.

The TTU SRC President, Cosmos Dadzie, while stating the importance of the summit, said it was aimed at enlightening students on the advantages they have as students of technical university and how they can effect change with the skills they acquire.