Train problem solvers - Vodafone CEO to educational institutions

Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, has said the fast growing job market does not have space for graduates who focus solely on theories rather than practicality - reason many people remain jobless.

According to her, several companies on the job market have moved pass the phase where employees directly apply theories from the classroom on the job.

She said this phenomenon of ‘chew and pour’ has over the years contributed to the growing spate of unemployment.

In her submission, she emphasised that while customers are constantly shifting from a paradigm of loyalty to a brand, employers are also on the lookout for individuals who apply critical thinking on the job to provide a competitive edge.

“…today customers have options and so they’re not loyal to a brand, they’re choosing who is delivering what they need at any point in time and you can see it even in the telecom sector…and that’s why you have to be ready to deliver competitive edge all the time…”

She continued that, because of the fast changing scenes of the job market, educational institutions can train students who “are coming with a different mindset. People are now being given issues to resolve, problems to solve, they’re not being given templates to fill and so if we have people who are memorizing their notes and coming to pour it out again, that era’s gone.”

She also advised institutions to train independent individuals who apply critical thinking as well as the knowledge they have acquired in school.

“We need to raise people who are given a problem and they can on their own with the resources available to them be able to solve it. That’s why I keep advocating for people who are taught how to think, critical thinking, who are able to apply the knowledge that they have acquired more than just memorizing and pouring back out on paper.”

Mrs Obo-Nai was speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb at the HR Focus Conference, Thursday, October 10, 2019 at the Ghana Shippers Authority.

The HR Focus Conference is organized by HR Focus Magazine as part of its efforts to enhance the recognition of human resource management in Ghana.

The theme for this year’s event is Agile Working - Redefining Productivity.