The Christian Service University (CSU) has held its maiden Exit Clinic to equip final year students for maximum impact on the job market under the theme: “Accessing the Job Market”. Notable experts including business entrepreneurs, academicians, and industry players delivered viewpoints on relevant topics. The aim of the event was to prepare final year students for the dynamic landscape of modern business by providing them with practical knowledge and vital tools for career advancement in the context of entrepreneurship.
Presentations
The first speaker, Mr. Kwabena Nketsia, former Director of Tropenbos, CSIR, Ghana, shared insights on the topic: Developing the Right Steps and Attitudes. He leveraged on his extensive experience to emphasize essential elements for navigating the competitive job market including well-packaged curriculum vitae, skills research, niche expertise development, networking, volunteerism, and exhibition of right attitudes. He added that key attitudes such as voluntary service, integrity, willingness to learn, versatility, confidence, and respect are required for successful business life. He urged young graduates to embrace these attitudes and best practices to adequately prepare themselves for the job space.
On her part, Prof. Mary Ansong, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Computer Science at Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), who spoke on the topic: Relevance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Career Development, pointed out that AI was rapidly permeating various industries, and understanding its applications has become imperative for professionals across diverse sectors including graduates who are entering into the competitive job market. She delved into the escalating realm of AI and urged the students to explore wisely for research and future career prospects.
Interactive Session on Entrepreneurship
The second part of the programme on entrepreneurship was an interactive session moderated by Prof. Sam Afrane, President of CSU. Prominent alumnus Mr. Stephen Owusu, CEO of Freedom Health International, and Mr Francis Addo, a level 400 Marketing student, and CEO of Trustfa Ghana Limited shared their perspectives on how to succeed as an entrepreneur. With 12 and 7 years of entrepreneurship experience respectively, they highlighted trustworthiness, cultivating good business relationships, and effective networking as fundamental pillars for sustaining business ventures. The duo entrepreneurs credited their motivation, progress, and achievements to principles such as financial discipline, continuous education, efficient time management, and meticulous record-keeping hence encouraged aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue their business dreams without being deterred by challenges such as insufficient capital or fear of failure.
The final year Exit Clinic is an initiative of the President, Prof. Sam Afrane who believes that the spirit of entrepreneurship must be engendered in final year students in the tertiary institutions particularly in an era where the hope of finding jobs is fast dwindling. He assured that CSU will continue to champion the entrepreneurship agenda to ensure that the challenge of unemployment challenge is addressed.
The maiden Exit Clinic was well attended by the final year students from all the programmes currently run by CSU.
By Anastasia C. Afenu
Institutional Advancement Office, CSU
