Silver Star Towers and the Japan Motors Group on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Koforidua Technical University for collaboration between industry and academia.
The MoU, which is being facilitated by Eastern and Volta Regional branch of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), aims to bridge the gap between academia and industry by recruiting students for the University for ‘hands on training’ and national service with Silver Star.
Mr Salah K. Kalmoni said the Silver Star had thought of this idea because sometimes it was difficult recruiting graduates from the National Service Secretariat, so they decided to relate directly with the various universities and institutions.
He said Koforidua Technical University was the first university that Silver Star had signed on for the initiative.
The company has informally been doing recruitments from the Accra Technical University, and other universities.
“We already recruit 10 national service personnel for silver Star Tower, Lake Side Estate and Advanced Construction, all part of the Japan Motors group. So we are looking forward to doing more.”
Mr Kalmoni noted that it was their corporate social responsibility, to recruit national service personnel, give them the necessary training and later if need be employed by them to work for their companies.
Professor Mrs Smile Dzisi, Vice Chancellor, Koforidua Technical University, said their biggest mandate was to have a very good relationship with industry, as they cannot develop their human resource without the support of industry.
She said “for us to deliver on our mandate we need to have a strong collaboration with industry. Our mandate is to train graduates who would easily fit into the job market.”
She said the partnership with Silver Star Tower would help their students to get easy industrial exposure, to come for industrial attachment, have opportunity for staff to impact practical skills to students, and opportunity for the graduates to get easy employment.
“We want to develop a strong linkage with the industry to easily fit our students into the job market. We are working closely with AGI, especially with the Volta and Eastern Regional branch to link up with the industry.”
Professor Dzisi noted that the industries would help them in the development of curriculum, practical skills training, so that the students would be ready for the job market to contribute effectively to the development of the country.
Mr Dela Gadzanku said if the universities were able to produce the required human capital for industry, then we would have a serious constrains to militate against the current trend.
Mr Gadzanku said “we thought it wise upon ourselves to collaborate with some of the key technical universities in the Volta and Eastern Regions to get the required human capital for industry”.
He commended Silver Star for leading that drive and urged other industries to emulate the examples, saying they looked forward to having students from the university come and do attachments, national service and for possible employment.
By Hafsa Obeng, GNA