Students and alumni of the University of Ghana’s College of Humanities, have expressed their concerns that the limited availability of internship opportunities is a primary factor in their ill-hinders their preparedness for the job market.
They expressed the need for practical experiences in their field of study in addition to the theories they are learning.
“It’s difficult out there. Some jobs are not like what we are taught in school. It’s really difficult,” Josephine Yakubo, an alumnus of the college said.
According to the students, internship programmes are useful because it helps them gain experience, identify career goals and strengthen their resume. This is why they are urging the school to establish suitable systems to benefit the graduates it produces.
Akwasi Gyamfi, a level 400 English and Education student of the University, shared expressed the same sentiments.
“I think the College can implement more internships and mentoring programs as they would equip students with skills that we would need for the job market,” he said.
Samuel Owusu Gyabaah, a level 300 student studying Political Science and French recognized the importance of theoretical knowledge and emphasised that applying learned concepts in practical settings offers a more comprehensive preparation for the job market.
Andrea Boateng, a level 300 student studying Political Science and Geography, shared similar frustrations.
“I think the College of Humanities should implement internships because you realise that what we are taught is just theory and that’s just it. We are not really taught anything pertaining to what we can actually do. So yeah, we definitely need more skill training and of course mentorships,” Andrea said.
Nana Ama Agyare, a past student from the Political Science Department attributed her failure to secure a job after school to her lack of hands-on experience on her resume. She said that this prompted her to pursue a master’s degree in Business Administration, where she could get more practical experiences to increase her chances of getting a job.
A graduate of the School of Law, Naana Sarkodie, said that the curriculum does no’t prepare students well enough to become lawyers. She suggested that the college providing internship opportunities would address the issue.
“The curriculum I underwent in school did not equip me with the skills I need for the job market. From the little experience that I’ve had with internships, I think that the curriculum is ill-adapted for what you need to have to actually be a lawyer out there. The programs and the courses that we offer are great and the lecturers are great but it is just a lot of theory and not a lot of hands-on experience,” she said.
Cynthia Kuutur, an Administrative Assistant at the University’s Careers and Guidance Centre, mentioned that the centre is responsible for aiding students in developing and accomplishing positive personal, educational, and career objectives, as well as providing students with internship opportunities.
Echoing students’ concerns about limited internship opportunities, she stressed their importance in bridging the gap between theory and practiceals, highlighting that success beyond the University’s walls often lies outside the classroom.
She mentioned that the College lacked a defined framework for securing internships with organisations for students.
“The College of Humanities doesn’t have a structure laid down to get students to do internships in organisations. If introduced, this structure should be implemented across all Colleges in the University. This approach would make internships more practical for students, aligning with the content covered in their academic curriculum,” she said.
She added that colleges in the school leave the job of finding internships for students in the hands of the University’s Careers and Guidance Centre, but this is challenging since the Centre is understaffed.
“Well, I think including the City Campuses, that is the Korle-Bu and Accra City Campus and the main campus, we are a total of 19 staff,” she said.
She suggested that, if they had a big staff, some of them would be assigned to some colleges to help find internship opportunities tailor-made for the courses being taken under the colleges.
“I think if we had a bigger staff, we would be able to assign some of them to the different colleges. For instance, we could assign staff from career and counselling centres to handle the humanities, and others for different colleges. This way, each college would have a representative actively seeking opportunities tailored to their specific needs,” she said.
Written by:
Diana Edinam Kumbey.
Host/Reporter, MX24 TV.
