Tema, July 29, GNA-Mr Papi-Paulo Zigah, Director of International Operations, Future Careers Ghana, has called on the authorities to leverage career education in Ghana’s educational system.

He explained that Career education was concerned with the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes through a planned programme of learning experiences in education and training settings which will assist students to make informed decisions about their life, study, or work options, and enable effective participation in working life.

Mr Zigah said this when speaking on the topic: “The importance of career education to the Ghanaian child,” at the 15th edition of the Ghana News –Agency, Tema Industrial News Hub Stakeholders Engagement.

The engagement is an initiative by the GNA-Tema Regional Office as a progressive media caucus platform for state and non-state actors to address national issues.

“We have reached the point where we need to educate the public about this, that higher education is not about the university, it is about any opportunity to help you acquire skills and knowledge relevant to a specific occupation,” Mr Zigah added.

He said it simply offered the child the ability to build his or her career education through one’s own natural abilities through guidance.

Mr Zigah said career education assists students to reflect on their ambitions, interests, strengths, and abilities as well as helps them to have a greater understanding of options, pathways, the labour market, and employment, and to relate this to what they know about themselves.

He explained that it resulted in a variety of positive outcomes as the students’ performance improved such as enhancing confidence and positive attitude in making career-related decisions, career exploration behaviours, and a lot more to complement the current educational system.

He indicated supporting students to know their interests, abilities, and goals; understanding the fundamentals of occupations, and acquiring knowledge, and skills regarding career planning were essential in preparing them for the future.

“If you know what you want to become, you can develop your own competence, you can take a lot of online courses to put you in a position where you can deliver within that particular occupation or profession,” he stated.

He said the structure instilled students with the knowledge they needed to obtain a meaningful career adding that there was the need to give Ghanaian youth career guidance and access to quality information to make informed choices for their future.

Mr Zigah said preparing students for the future would require all teachers working to provide students with the knowledge, and skills to manage their studies and careers.

He called for the training of educators to be involved in designing the lessons; infusing career knowledge into the content of academic courses; organizing more career practice activities for students.

Other speakers at the stakeholders’ engagement were Mr Richard A. Quayson, Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice; Mr Richard Kovey, a convenor at Campaign Against Privatization and Commercialization of Education (CAPCOE); and Mr Edward Kareweh, General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU).

Source: Ghana News Agency