Start Career counseling from the basic level - Esi Ansah

Human Resource expert Dr Esi Ansah is advocating early serious career counseling at the basic and secondary levels of education as a way of tackling the growing unemployment rate in the country.

The Ashesi University College Lecturer and social scientist believes, “constantly engaging industry in and outside the classroom” could be a good preparation ground for young people in schools.

When he recently met journalists at the Flagstaff House, President John Mahama said the problem of unemployment appears to be that the country’s tertiary institutions are churning out professionals who cannot be immediately absorbed into the job market.

He said there was therefore the need to match the demands of the market to what is being taught in the universities.

Dr. Ansah told XYZ Breakfast Sow host Moro Awudu on Wednesday that to achieve that, “people must be taught to apply what they’ve been taught in the classroom”, irrespective of the field.

Unlike what most stakeholders in the sector say, Dr. Ansah thinks, “what the market needs is not necessarily technical”, but the application of the theory learnt in the classroom.

This, according to her, would forge strong collaboration between industry and academia, which, Dr. Ansah said was essential for addressing the unemployment challenges in the country.

She also thinks a short approach to solving the problem would be providing financial support and adequate training for graduates who are yet to find jobs.