A Secretary to the Ghana Hotels Association (GHA) in the Northern region, Gilbert Dery has called for the need for tertiary institutions to start collaborating with experts to determine what knowledge and skills young people should be taught in order to find rewarding work.
He said considering the fact that businesses are suffering from the skills mismatch, institutions need to take a more active role in promoting appropriate education and skill-building for young people from an early age. According to him, there are a lot of programmes taught in institutions in the country that have no merits therefore making students not capably fit in the job market after school.
He said the country runs a system that does not build confidence in students hence, the reason whystudents graduate from school without any practical knowledge. Mr Gilbert Dery who was speaking in an interview with Zaa news on the ‘State of the hospitality and tourism industry in Ghana’, indicates that hospitality is a practically oriented programme and when students are not exposed to practical in the right environment, they leave school without the capability to operate the industry equipment.
He observed that most students step into the industry with the wrong attitude and perception which makes it difficult for them to learn. He has however advised the youth especially students to be self-discipline with positive character, integrity and humility.
Mr. Gilbert Dery is worried young graduates are not attracted to the tourism and hospitality industry due to lack of strategic positioning and challenged the industry players to seek experts ideas for proper branding of the sector.
By: Lilian D. Walter/zaanews.com/Ghana