The siamese twins - education and employability

I recently had the privilege of attending a ‘Policy Dialogue’ in Kumasi organised by the British Council entitled ‘International Education and Employability: Developing Human Capacity for the Global Market.’ The aim of the ‘Dialogue’ was to generate discussion among our intelligentsia which would in turn stimulate national policy development around the strategically vital issue of ‘Employability and Education’.

I use the word ‘issue’, deliberately, as I believe passionately that education and employment are not separate and distinct but rather two sides of the same coin, Siamese twins if you will, for you cannot have a meaningful discussion about one without mentioning the other.

For far too long now our weather-worn education system has been geared and cranked with the sole aim of producing good scholars. Some would say in the same fashion as a sausage machine produces sausages. You put sausage meat in at the beginning, crank it a little and you get a similitude of sausages streaming out at the other end. This may sound a little harsh, but there is strong anecdotal evidence to suggest that our graduates are ‘world class experts’ in the phenomenon known as “chew and pour” but rank amongst the poorest in terms of their ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, think critically or laterally, or work effectively within a multi-functional team.

This over-indulgence on the Education twin in my view has been to the clear detriment of ‘Employability’ and is possibly one of the reasons why so many of our graduates are currently under-employed and unemployed.

Before I continue, I think it is important to define exactly what I mean when I talk about ‘Employability’. All too often our policy-making has been fatally flawed from the outset, doomed to failure because the key players have differing interpretations and understandings of the same issue. Whilst some believe the debate is about apples and are seeking solutions for such, others are doggedly fixed on seeing only oranges.

Anyway, for the avoidance of ambiguity, the international definition that is most often cited is “Employability is the set of achievements, skills, attributes, and qualities that make individuals more likely to gain employment and be successful in their chosen careers, which benefits themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy”.

This is of vital importance because as a developing nation we cannot afford to educate simply to produce knowledgeable people but must also endeavour to equip the most valuable resource we have, our human capital with the life skills that will make them not only relevant in today’s world, but which will also ensure that they are able to shape it in the same way that the Americans, Japanese and Germans have done post war.

You only have to ask any one of the multitude of unemployed first class degree holders in Ghana who have latterly deployed a ‘scatter-gun’ job-search approach in flinging their CVs in every direction, and they will acknowledge much to their chagrin that there is a world of difference between being good at doing an academic subject and being perceived by the world of work as being good at doing a real job in a real business context.

Whilst recognising that there are no quick-fix solutions to what is an historically entrenched, multi-layered problem, there are in my view a number of straight-forward interventions that can afford us some quick wins and at least help to re-point this ‘super-tanker’ we call Ghana back in the right direction.

Firstly we need to tackle the issue of ‘Education-Employability’ at various levels, the macro, institutional and also at the level of the graduates themselves who need to recognise that due to the fast pace of globalisation and the advances in technology, there is no longer such thing as a ‘career for life’. Careers are now not chosen, but are rather constructed and so students must take personal responsibility for managing their own careers by continuously acquiring the skills that will make them relevant and employable in today’s marketplace.

Speaking of the marketplace, we need to de-mystify the job-market. It is just like any other market such as the stock market, in order for it to work, the demand and supply sides need to be able to interact efficiently and effectively with each other. For this to happen there must be a constant flow of timely, accessible and accurate information which facilitates good decision-making. This is important for Investors who need information about the availability of skilled labour and it is important for the labour force which requires accurate, timely information on the mix of skills they need to acquire in order to be employable.

It wasn’t by accident that the ‘Good Lord’ began the work of creation by uttering the immortal words “Let there be light.” What our job market lacks at present is light or rather clarity. Clarity about the numbers and types of jobs created every year and which sectors of the economy they predominate in, clarity about the skills that are in great demand and in short supply and clarity about the role of business in the development of our academic curricula and the provision of work-placements.

Government plays a vital role in providing this clarity. For example agencies such as GIPC, Registrar General, Ghana Tourist Board and others can quite easily collate valuable information from businesses regarding the numbers and types of jobs that these businesses envisage, in order to feed the market with a much clearer and more detailed picture of the kinds of opportunities that are available every year in Ghana.

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Government through the National Council on Tertiary Education should also consider adopting a ‘University League Table’ system that can be found in countries such as the U.K. where an authoritative guide is published by leading media houses every year which assesses the performance of all tertiary institutions in a range of areas including job-prospects, which measures the percentage of graduates of a particular institution by discipline that are able to secure employment, let’s say within 12 months of graduation.

Again, this will provide prospective students with the kind of information they need in order to objectively assess their employability prospects depending on the course and the institution they choose. It would also compel the tertiary institutions to place greater focus on the exit strategy for students by spending more of their resources on providing dedicated career development and advisory services and in engaging with Employers to facilitate greater work opportunities and job-placements for their annual graduate crop.

Institutions who decide to ignore this new imperative and feel they can continue to survive solely on their historical reputation will find themselves facing market penalties and will eventually have to reconsider their approach or face an inevitable demise.

Employers too, have their part to play in facilitating a more enhanced discourse with academia regarding the development of a business-sensitive curriculum and in the provision of meaningful work-experience opportunities for students.

Employers should also avoid focusing on non-genuine occupational requirements when advertising job vacancies. There is little point for example, in stating in the job advert that 5 years work experience is required, when it is patently not a ‘genuine occupational requirement’ linked to specific competencies. Too many of the job-adverts we see in the newspapers today are just ‘diplomatic-speak’ for “Fresh graduates need not apply!” Apart from the demoralising effect that this has on otherwise eligible candidates, the use of such conditions makes it less likely, not more that the best candidate for the position would eventually be selected.

Businesses can also take a closer look at the way in which they design their jobs. Unlike developed economies we appear not to be making adequate use of part-time jobs, job-sharing and the like which can create more opportunities for graduates to at least get their foot through the door and gain some valuable work-experience.

The dialogue and the ‘Education-Employability debate I am sure will rumble on and full credit to the British Council for initiating the discussion. The whole purpose for me however in writing this article is to try and stimulate a wider debate. One of the pre-requisites I believe of effective policy-making is to gain a consensus from the broad convergence of diverse and disparate views, opinions and experiences, particularly from those people who have something to say but lack the voice to say it. I have given you my views….what are yours?

Koffi Williams

CEO Purplepeeple

info@purplepeeple.com