Human resource professionals in Ghana have been urged to take a leading role in bridging the gap between academia and industry to address the growing challenge of skills mismatch and improve workforce readiness.
The call was made by Associate Professor and Director at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof. Fidelis Quansah, during the 5th Annual General Meeting of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management Ghana (CIHRM).
The meeting was held under the theme, “Building a Future-Ready Workforce: The Role of the HR Practitioner.”
Prof. Quansah noted that Ghana continues to grapple with unemployment, underemployment, and a mismatch between the skills graduates possess and those demanded by employers.
“We face challenges of unemployment, underemployment and skills mismatch. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. But HR practitioners in Ghana have an important role to play in this,” he said.
According to her, HR practitioners must go beyond traditional personnel management and become active partners in shaping a workforce that meets the needs of a rapidly evolving labour market.
She explained that HR professionals can contribute significantly by helping to bridge the skills gap, supporting youth employability, encouraging entrepreneurship, promoting workplace readiness, and strengthening collaboration between educational institutions and industry players.
She stressed the need for stronger partnerships between academia and industry to ensure that educational programmes remain relevant and responsive to the demands of the modern workplace.
Prof. Quansah further encouraged stakeholders in education and human resource management to focus on equipping young people with future-ready skills that will enable them to adapt to changing job markets and emerging opportunities.
“As our educators and professionals, we must prepare people not merely for jobs that exist today,” Prof. Quansah stated.
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