The Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Yayra Dzakadzie, has urged tertiary institutions to constantly re-evaluate their programmes to ensure that they are in line with the latest industry trends and demands.
He said it was important to adapt programmes and courses to suit the current global environment, so that graduates could be equipped with the skills they needed to succeed in today's economy.
“As we all know, the world is changing at an unprecedented pace, and it is essential that we stay ahead of the curve in order to provide our students with the best possible education,” he stressed.
Prof. Dzakadzie gave the advice at the graduation ceremony of Nobel International Business School (NiBS), Africa’s Premier Doctoral School.
It was on the theme: "Creating Tomorrow's Workforce.”
During the ceremony, 12 individuals graduated with a degree in Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA), 27 were conferred with Certified Innovation Professional (CIP) degrees and 14 graduated with degrees as Certified Strategy Professionals (CSP).
The degrees were awarded by the SBS Swiss Business School in Zurich, Switzerland.
As part of the event, the new CIPs were inducted into the Certified Innovation Professional Association (CIPA).
The Deputy Director-General, GTEC, urged the graduates to commit to making a difference in the world because their education and training equipped them to take on leadership roles, innovate and to steer change, and equally urged them to take such a responsibility with humility and integrity.
“Our belief in your potential to significantly impact the Ghanaian economy and society is unwavering.
We have strived to instil in each graduate and inductee the skills, knowledge and mindset necessary to contribute meaningfully,” he stressed.
The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simon Giger, urged the graduates to use the skills they had acquired throughout their academic journey to solve pressing global challenges, which required urgent attention such as climate change and environmental degradation.
That, she said, was because during their studies, they did not just acquire knowledge but developed the capacity to question, analyse and synthesise information – all skills which were crucial for tackling future challenges in the country and beyond.
“Equipped with the rich skills you have acquired at NiBS, you can analyse the environmental impact of business practices and propose innovative solutions, contributing to a sustainable and prosperous future,” she stressed.
The Executive Dean NiBS, Prof. Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, urged the students not to view their graduation as an end to their academic careers because the world was changing and as such they needed to continue studying to remain relevant.
“Research states that by the time you finish your degree, half the things you would have learnt would be obsolete and that is why, here at NiBS, we continue to introduce courses that will enable you up-skill and re-skill,” he said.