Career seminar held for aspiring tertiary students in Lower Manya Krobo

About 200 aspiring tertiary students have undergone a career seminar aimed at guiding their career choices ahead of their tertiary education.

Students aspiring to seek higher education in tertiary institutions, including universities, nursing training colleges, and teacher training colleges, graced the occasion held at the auditorium of the Manya-Kpongunor Presbyterian Church.

The program was attended by chiefs, elders, opinion leaders, assembly members, students from some senior high schools in Lower Manya Krobo, and the general public.

Consultant physician and kidney specialist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Winfred Korletey Baah, who organized the event, took time to guide the students through career pathways in the health sector.

Explaining the rationale behind the event, the astute medical practitioner said the seminar, which has been running for the past seven years, is aimed at guiding aspiring tertiary students, with experts in various career areas coming on board to counsel the young people in their career choices ahead of their tertiary education.

“It’s a career seminar, and it’s a yearly event that we organize for the people of Lower Manya Krobo and beyond. It’s something I do to guide those who are getting into tertiary institutions for that year… we bring experts in various career pathways,” he explained. Citing himself as an example to further enlighten the motivation behind the move, Dr. Baah recalled how, as an aspiring medical student but without anybody to fall back on for counseling, he sought advice from practicing doctors.

The doctor, who said he’s a beneficiary of guidance and government scholarship, has taken it upon himself to provide a platform for young and aspiring tertiary students to be nurtured and counseled on the best approach to tertiary education. He added that he wants to see the students succeed in their pursuit of tertiary education and subsequent careers.

Dr. Baah observed that though most students are good academically, making the right choices regarding the right courses to study at tertiary institutions remains a problem, adding that guidance was important in aiding students to make the right choices. He said, “A lot of people are good academically, may even have the finances but don’t know what to do. Lots of people want to be, let’s say, electrical engineers but don’t know what to study in school.”

The medical doctor encouraged the students to strive hard to achieve their dreams in their education. Those aspiring to gain admission to nursing schools were particularly guided on how to prepare for interviews, the appropriate nursing training colleges to apply for, the various specialties in the nursing field, and how to apply.

There was also a career guidance session led by the Founder and Lead Coach of Virtual Career Office, Ms. Akua Ampah, where students were groomed on self-identity and counseled on how to choose careers that align with their skills and passion.

The program witnessed speakers from various sectors of the corporate world, and they made a great impact in their presentations by providing alternatives in life careers and career guidance. A representative from the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Education Directorate highlighted how students must take their studies seriously and discipline themselves towards their books.

Ing. Philip Tetteh Padi from the Volta River Authority (VRA) spoke about career pathways in businesses, the social sciences, and engineering, filling in the gaps, visualizing one’s future in the next twenty years, adequate preparations towards realizing that vision, and being careful about the technological world, especially social media, and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) to one's benefit.

Ms. Sylvia Esther Sackitey, a final year medical student, also spoke about scholarship opportunities and how to successfully apply for scholarship schemes and how to prepare for scholarship interviews. She further elaborated on how to use Meta Artificial Intelligence (Meta AI) on WhatsApp to identify and apply for such scholarship schemes either in Ghana or abroad. There was an open forum for questions and suggestions and a breakout session with nursing school applicants.