A symposium on career choices for students of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) has been held at its Multipurpose Auditorium.
The symposium which sought to introduce to the students, the learning opportunities in Germany after first degree, was organized by the Department of Biological, Physical & Mathematical Science UESD in collaboration with the German government under the auspices of GIZ. It was attended by the Dean of students Dr. Daniella Delali Sedegah, staff members and students of the University.
Speaking on the activities of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Coordinator for Programme Migration in the Diaspora, Mr. Silas Ewuntomah said, the German government recognizes the need to support the development efforts of less developed countries.
It is for this reason the German government established the GIZ programme and other schemes specifically designed to nurture and build capacity and expertise of beneficiaries to meet the development agenda of the target countries.
He indicated that the programmes run in UESD are very significant considering the vicissitudes of time where Environmental Sustainability is prominent in global discussions.
Mr. Ewuntomah said, the German government, in joining the fight against adverse environmental impact like climate change and global warming, has designed post graduate programmes to train experts in the fields of Environmental Sustainability, Economics and Infrastructural Development.
He commended the students for their chosen fields and counseled them to take advantage of the unique opportunities that awaits them in Germany.
He stated that unlike other countries whose scholarship openings lead to brain-drain, the German programme design, requires beneficiaries to return home as ‘returning experts’ and integrated into the system to contribute to nation building.
Mr. Ewontumah, revealed that GIZ provides assistance to returnees who want to start projects or businesses of their own, ranging from financial assistance and advisory. This is to help them re-integrate into the system.
A Career Coach at GIZ, Mr. Emmanuel Woyome, spoke on: Career opportunities. He stated that Ghana as a developing economy has lots of challenges which could be transformed into opportunities.
He said, results of a survey conducted at Harvard University, revealed that, for one to succeed, they are required to follow laid down goals or objectives and conscious efforts made to see to the realization of those goals.
Mr. Woyome stated that instead of striving to be employed after school, they should be looking at creating their own businesses to help address the cry over unemployment.
He said, whichever path one threads on, they must identify their chosen areas and the opportunities available and examine their strengths and weaknesses in going about it. This can be achieved through the combination of skills including good communication, team work, problem solving skills and initiative and enterprise skills. He encouraged the students to always strife to stay relevant.
A beneficiary of the GIZ scholarship and Lecturer at UESD, Dr. Owusu Fordjour Aidoo, urged the students to strive for Germany’s world class education which seeks to open them up for more opportunities. He said, the German system of education, particularly, at the Masters and PhD levels are structured and designed to churn-out graduates equipped with the technical know-how and the right mindset needed for national development. Adding that, the German scholarships are competitive and there is the need for prospective applicants to work to benefit from them.
The chairman of the symposium and Dean of Students, Dr. Daniella Sedegah expressed her excitement about the initiative and collaboration between the GIZ and the University.
She welcomed more of such partnerships to get students exposed and enlightened through the programmes.