Coventry University, a public research tertiary institution based in England, in partnership with Ghana Telecom University College (GTUC) and African Institute for Transformational Entrepreneurship (AITE), has organized an entrepreneurship and employability masterclass to equip the youth, mostly students, on becoming successful entrepreneurs in future.
The masterclass provided participants with a platform to interact and share ideas with alumni of Coventry University. Two insightful sessions were held with speakers from Coventry University and the British Council, Ghana in Accra on Saturday 29th April, 2017.
The first session, led by Simon Hill, Lecturer in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Coventry University, focused on innovation, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, leadership, socio-economic development and policy formulation.
Courses on these are provided by the African Institute for Transformational Entrepreneurship, (AITE).
Gideon Brefo, a representative from the British Council Ghana, led the second session and offered insights into topics based on the recent report dubbed, ‘Universities, Employment and Inclusive Development: Repositioning Higher Education in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.’
This masterclass presentation took a valuable look at the qualities employers value in graduates.
Being a successful entrepreneur, Gideon also shared his entrepreneurship experience with participants.
Further to the training, participants took part in a personal branding exercise after which a selected few were given the opportunity to present an elevator pitch that could be used at interviews or networking events.
Dr. Osei Kofi Darkwa, President of GTUC & a Senior Member of Staff at Coventry University, said that the two institutions have been in a collaborative partnership since 2010 offering high standard Master’s programmes.
He added that “our collaboration has given a number of students the advantage of international opportunities, while based in Ghana. Students have the option to graduate at GTUC or Coventry University at the end of their studies, and several also choose to join CU Summer Schools in Coventry during their degree.”
Jane Debra, President for Coventry University Alumni, Ghana Chapter, encouraged participants to cultivate the habit of seeking advice during challenges.
It ended with a networking ceremony, which brought together business experts like Mutaru Mumuni, Executive Director, West Africa Centre for Counter- Extremism (WACCE) and executives from Coventry University.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri