University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council to host cohort 2 of Skill-Up for Jobs bootcamp 2024

The UG-SRC under the leadership of 2023 -2024 led by Frank Tsikata, in collaboration with Global Entrepreneurship Network-Ghana (GEN-Ghana) will host the cohort 2 of, UG-SRC Skill-UP for Jobs Bootcamp which is slated for July - August 2024.

The UG-SRC (Skill-UP for Jobs™) Bootcamp project is an experiential training and exposure programme that has been designed to train, inspire, and equip 1000 students per cohort with job creation skills. It is intended to be a weekend training programme over a one-month duration comprising in-person practical skills and virtual soft skills sessions that will focus on sequential employability skills in selected disciplines.

The participants are coached to apply and showcase the acquired skill in micro-projects at the end of the training in the form of a prototype on proof of concepts. Experts from industry have been poached to mentor the participants on their microprojects.

The bootcamp training programme will be climaxed with a Skills for Job Conference and Exhibition, where students will have the opportunity to ask questions from industry experts on the skills needed for current and emerging jobs of the future. This is expected to motivate students to appreciate skills training at first hand.

The goals of this student-initiated project include to:

● Bridge the entrepreneurial skills gap of students

● Respond to the changing employment situation by encouraging initiative

● Create an enterprise culture and stimulate entrepreneurial activity

● Increase the rate at which students participate in experiential learning

● Provide insights and connections for students to be part of mentoring networks

Features:

● The programme will feature practical masterclass Skills training

● Skills for Jobs Summit and Expo event.

● Affirmative action for gender and persons with special needs have been mainstreamed.

Four Key Practical Skills Training Clusters which advance the targets of the UN agenda 2030 (SDGs) have been selected. These include Creative Arts, Food- and Agri- Business, Digital and Tech Skills and Micro Manufacturing.

“Young people continue to be the hardest hit by the job crisis. There are multiple and complex causes behind youth unemployability. Young people often have little or no labour market experience, and frequently lack relevant skills. The challenge of quality and relevance of the skill acquired in formal education can be harnessed by the UG-SRC through the Skill-UP for Jobs Bootcamp as an added specialised experiential learning during the students life on UG campus.

Of the two routes for young people to enter employment, the labour-market training is being adopted due to its mass accessibility and cost effectiveness than work experience programmes at workplaces,” says Frank Tsikata, President UG-SRC 2023-2024.

“GEN-Ghana is delighted to be working with UG SRC 2023-24 leadership to implement this project at the University of Ghana. We call on corporate organisations, development agencies, public sector institutions and the UG community to support this project,” says Stephen Gyasi-Kwaw, Country Founder/ MD (GEN-Ghana)

The expected outcomes include:

● Participants will be exposed to employability and job creation opportunities

● Participants will create new business & new markets

● 1000 students will be directly trained and equipped with job skills

● Contribute to the Ghana’s achievements of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

● Provide students with life-long skills and experiences to thrive economically whilst helping Ghana to prosper

● Interactions with mentors will influence student perspectives on the possibilities open to them after graduation

● Participants will appreciate work and its function in the economy

● Participants will develop work habits and attitudes necessary for job success