Dr Lawrence Yao Addo, Civil Engineer, General Manager, Kodson Transport Company Limited, says alumni associations are key to breaking the gap between academia and industry and facilitating graduate employment.
He said alumni associations, if incorporated into the university administration, could share valuable insights about the demands of the industry with academia.
The academia, he stressed, would be well informed about the demands of the industry and would incorporate those demands into the course curricula to teach the students.
He said this in a keynote address during the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Accra Technical University Alumni Association (ATTUA), held at the auditorium of the University.
“It is important that the course curriculum be industry-focused to get students who will finish and not become unemployed.
Most of the courses at the university seem outdated, and they need to be modified.
“We are making a call that the alumni be incorporated into the leadership of the institution to advise the university on tailored-made courses to meet the expectations of the industry.
“The role of the alumni is to create a research portfolio that we can use to identify good and brilliant students that we can recommend to industry for employment,’’ he said.
Professor Amevi Acakpovi, the Acting Vice Chancellor of Accra Technical University, in an interview on the sidelines of the event, said that Universities could leverage the alumni association to bring industry closer.
“Bridging the gap between academia and industry, taking a clue from examples at other places in the world, you see that the alumni association actually supports the university in bringing the industry closer.
Because they have acquired a lot of experience in the industry, they are able to bring those challenges from the industry and channel them through their universities and schools. It should be a partnership between the industry and the departments,“ he said.
He said the alumni association could play a major role in addressing the infrastructure deficit at the University.
The Professor appealed to the alumni body to provide the necessary funds and support for the construction of a new hostel facility on the new campus.
Mr David Ayisala, Global President of ATUAA, said the alumni association of the university was keenly interested in assisting the school to construct a new hostel facility on the new campus.
ATUAA is an association of all past students of Accra Technical University that exists to foster a continuous link between the university and the past students.
The association also creates networking and systems and contributes to the university’s growth and expansion.
GNA
CA/
Feb. 26, 2024
Photo attached
