Accra, Ghana//-Tarragon Edge Limited, an SME System and implementation company today partnered with the Office of the Dean of Students Career Development Centre of the Ghana Communication Technology University (GCTU) to organise a well-attended Transformative Youth Bootcamp for hundreds of students in the school.
The 2023 boot camp dubbed ‘Beyond Certificate’ aimed at enlightening students on youth and leadership, shift in the mindset of entrepreneurship, and getting ready for the world.
In his welcome address, the Dean of Student Affairs at GCTU, Dr Micheal Nana Owusu Akomea said the programme was carefully put together with the support from the Provost Vice-Chancellor of the University.
He said he likes the title of the boot camp- ‘ Beyond the Certificate’. As it reminds us to do things beyond what we acquired from the school.
Dr Owusu Akomea advised the students to take their dress, appearance, and communications very seriously as they could open more doors for them.
He however advised: “When you are starting life, you need a lot of dresses. You need only two tops-two black tops and a least a white one; black trousers with a black belt and a pair of shoes. They can go with anything”.
Dr Owusu Akomea urged the students not to wait before they get something positive to do, saying: “You should find something that you have competence and passion for”.
Because most of us are wasting time looking for office jobs, while some jobs which are not office ones can pay higher than the white-collar ones, he noted.
Deputy Registrar and Head of Admissions of GCTU, Kwame Owusu-Afram advised the students to take their dressing, appearance, and communications very seriously as they could open more doors for them.
He also advised them to dress according to how they would want to be in the future while advising the students that “success is your determination. I, therefore, urge you to be determined to be successful”.
We will tell you and teach you and give you the ways and means and we will tell you how you will go about it, but then it is your determination and your diligence to move away from your misconceptions and make success your home”.
Mr Owusu-Afram appealed to the students to stick to whatever the seasoned speakers taught them during the event.
“Eight years ago, we started doing it, every year I get over 50 students coming to me for me to review their CVs and to help them do their recommendation letters to help them secure jobs”.
The Lead Consultant of Tarragon Edge, Dr Genevieve Pearl Duncan Obuobi said ‘Beyond the Certificate’ is meant to tell people that after working so hard for three years, four years and five years in some cases in school and even at higher levels after becoming doctor and professor, and all that. What next?
She continued: “But for today, our focus is on tertiary institutions. So, levels 300 and 400 students are preparing to go outside the school. When you are done and go outside the school, is it just what you earned and have it in your hands? No!.
There are so many other important things such as time management, attitude, and sense of urgency that you need to know. Others are networking skills, how to write very nice CVs, communication skills, interpersonal relationships, and so many more”.
She said that, in her many years of working in the banking industry one of the things that she realized and took it upon herself to do is most times students come especially for national service she realized that it was like a shock.
“They want to work, so they get the opportunity to work but when they are working their attitude and what we see at work sometimes confuses me. But we can’t just be leaders who will see problems and not solve them. That is why today we are all here”, Dr. Duncan Obuobi explained.
He noted that the focus of Tarragon Edge is to ensure that when students are in school, they prep the students, so they don’t miss it till they are done with their schooling.
So, whether the students are in levels 100, 200, and 300, Tarragon Edge prepares them. It is a chain. Once they enrol and become part of the network, from level 100, what we do is that we allow interning at different places.
We also give them key assignments that they will be doing not to conflict with their work, but they prioritise that as well because it is part of the training ground, she added.
“Then we also ensure that you get places to do your national service and then finally when you are done with school, there are so many opportunities that await you. So, you have exposure seminars not like this one.
After school, you have different seminars locally and internationally. We have webinars that we do for so many reasons. Some are on your issues, and some are your career choices and what are on the work that you want to do, Dr Duncan Obuobi stated.
“Key purpose is also on entrepreneurship. It is also all of us who will end up working for people. That is the sad truth, but it is a beautiful truth to me”.
Speaking on the topic: Preparing for work. Key strategies to know (as an entrepreneur or employee), a Human Capital Management Consultant, Dr Kwame Annor said his mind went to work after thinking about the unemployment challenge in the country.
So, while at KNUST as a student, he started building his company which set up a cottage factory producing palm oil at the age of 13.
Dr Annor appealed to the students to talk about their plans or businesses, ideas and passions to friends and anybody they meet. “This is very important. It is a skill that you need to pick. It is a form of sales and marketing”.
Touching on preparing for the technology-driven changing job market, Ms. Winifred Kotin, CEO, of Eagles Innovation noted that technology rules the world after agriculture and energy and therefore advised the students to take the studies of ICT very seriously.
“If you did not eat or were unwell, we would not gather here today. But right after that we need to have technology to make things possible”.
On mindset and attitude beyond the certificate, John Appiah, President of, the African Chamber for Youth Development told the students their certificates are not enough to guarantee that they would get employment upon graduation.
“Don’t assume that because you have come to school and have graduated and you have a certificate, it is automatic that you would get a job. So, let that sink deep into your mind”.
“To stand a chance in this competitive job market, it’s critical to market yourself properly. And you can do this through a well-tailored CV that paints you as a problem solver to the company”, Dickson Assan, CEO, of The Career Compass told the students.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Partner of V5 Solutions Ltd and FV Global Consult, Dr Victor Abbey, advised the students to work hard to ensure that their dreams become reality.
The speakers also used the occasion to share their many years of working experiences with the students to go out and conquer the world.
