Co-Founder and CEO of Emigoh Ghana Limited, Stephen Eku has highlighted the critical importance of industrial placements in enhancing students’ employability and bridging the gap between academic learning and practical industry experience.
He underscored this in a presentation he made during his participation in Prestigious Conference in Weihenstephan-Triesdorf-HSWT (University of Applied Sciences), Germany from Thursday, 11th July 2024 to Friday, 12th July, 2024.
His insightful presentation was on the topic of “Effective Industrial Placement of University Students”.
It advocated for student’s success as an expression of his company’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and industry collaboration.
The HSWT-Africa University Collaboration is renowned for bringing together leading academic institutions & industry professionals from around the globe. This year’s conference focused on “Making African Agricultural Universities More Effective for Rural Areas” providing a platform for the exchange of innovative practices and collaborative opportunities.
The presentation emphasized:
1. The Duration of Internship: Internships are typically too short to be effective. His recommendation was to extend internships to a year or adopt a split week model for more meaningful learning experiences.
2. The Level of the Student: First year students often lack the knowledge needed for meaningful contributions. He recommended that internships be scheduled for Year 3 students, who can offer better contributions due to their advanced knowledge.
3. Training Institution’s Involvement: He intimated that institutions tend to be passive in arranging internships and recommended that institutions should play an active role in arranging internships, involve industry in curriculum development, and offer continuous education and consultancy services.
4. Government Incentives/Policies: In his view, government support is crucial for fostering industry engagement. His recommendation was for the Introduction of policies that incentivize Companies (through tax support & grants) to provide training and internships.
Looking Ahead
Mr. Stephen Eku continued that effective collaboration should span the entire food value chain, from farm to fork. Universities should focus on research and training & partnering with industry for profit-sharing after developing innovations.
For example, KNUST interns helped Emigoh to solve a significant challenge in our factory some time back.
To support rural development, universities should admit more rural students at affordable costs, enabling them to return and develop their communities. Ghanaian universities should focus on producing more hands-on professionals rather than administrators.
These insights aim to foster effective strategies for academia-industry collaboration.
About Emigoh Ghana Limited
Emigoh Ghana Ltd. is an SME in the Food and Beverage Industry with headquarters situated in Accra, Ghana.
Emigoh Ghana Ltd.’s premier product is Yomi Yogurt, a drinking yogurt which comes in different flavours with optional added grains.
Since 2005, Emigoh Ghana Ltd. has grown from a small company, employing five persons and serving a few retailers, to a medium size company, employing close to 100 employees and serving over 2,500 retailers.
Emigoh Ghana Ltd. plans to saturate the Ghanaian market with of quality foods and nutrition with aspirations to have international collaborations, first tapping into the West African sub-region.
