One hundred and twenty students (120) from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani, have been selected for the inaugural 2022 Summer Internship Programme under the PartnerAfrika–Projekt at KNUST. The opening ceremony was held on Wednesday, 10th August 2022 at the IDL Conference Centre.
According to the Principal Investigator, Professor Jerry John Kponyo, the PartnerAfrika-Projekt at KNUST is a three-year Project funded by Unternehmer Baden-Wurttemberg (UBW), a German government funding agency through Sequa (Project Partner) which seeks to bring students and Professionals within the framework of the special initiative on training and job creation. He stated that the project aims to enable KNUST, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and local partners to offer innovative services to their members (with a focus on sustainable production and digitalisation), creating jobs and income in the industrial sector, particularly with SMEs and bridging the gap between industry and academia.
Professor Kponyo added that the training programme consists of twelve (12) modules, which is a blend of technical sessions on environmental sustainability as well as soft skills to make students integrate effectively into the industry. "The internship phase saw over 400 applications, of which 120 were shortlisted, therefore, in the next four (4) weeks, the shortlisted students will go through a preparatory programme to prepare them for their internships," he said.
He was optimistic that the project would mutually impact both students and partner-industries. “By the time this Project ends, we should have made a major impact on the career path of these students while introducing new and improved methods to the companies who opted to take in our participants. I hope that the students will use the knowledge gained during the training to build their capacity and better their career prospects,” he added.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo assured the beneficiaries of the University’s unflinching support during the internship period to ensure they become students fit and ready for the industry. “We will put in place the necessary measures to facilitate teaching and learning to ensure a memorable and pleasurable activity,” he said.
Professor Owusu-Dabo admonished participants to approach the training programme with all the seriousness it deserves. ‘I have complete confidence in all of you and look forward to seeing the change you implement in industry,” he emphasised.
The Provost of the College of Engineering (CoE), Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah advised the participants to uphold environmental sustainability and be submissive to derive the maximum benefits. “The College of Engineering welcomes all present to the inaugural class and duly congratulates all students here present; your applications resonated with the mandate of this Project as Environmental Sustainability is at the core of the industry," he stated.
He added that many organisations in Ghana today, are finding new ways of engineering solutions that are eco-friendly and non-hazardous, thus, their input is needed to make this happen. “I urge you to take this journey seriously and submit yourselves to being coached by the officers you will meet in the field. The training team is experienced in the topics going to be discussed, and I encourage you to ask a lot of questions,” he appealed.
Mr. Kwasi Nyamekye, the Regional Chairman of AGI, Ashanti, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions, was hopeful that the collaboration will generate a succession plan for the industries. He also assured the Management of his outfit support to collaborate with the University to produce industry-ready graduates.
In a related development, Mr. Philipp Poferl with his team from Arqum paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson.
