The Women’s Wing of the Senior Staff Association in collaboration with Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (WiSTEM) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has held a capacity building workshop for female Senior Staff in KNUST on Thursday, 27th May, 2021 at the KNUST Museum.
The workshop was aimed at grooming women with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to perform their duties at a greater capacity and advance in their careers.
The President of WiSTEM, Professor (Mrs.) Ibok Oduro welcomed the participants and urged them to put into practice the knowledge that would be taught at the workshop. She added that despite the demanding challenges of being a wife and handling domestic duties, they ought to work hard in meeting the high expectations and demands of their job. She advised participants to set career goals and subject themselves to learning new technology, managing their time effectively, working diligently, joining professional associations, mentoring and collaborating with others.
Dr. (Mrs.) Augustina Sylverken of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology took the participants through personal appearance and grooming, workplace etiquettes, how to write and send formal letters or memos, and official emails, and phone etiquettes. she noted that grooming builds skills, resilience, competence and contributes towards personal development.
She charged the women to have a learning spirit and subject themselves to learn how to network with others; as it would help them in their careers.
Ms. Josephine Baffoe, an Assistant Registrar at the University Relations Office, in her presentation on Career Progression said that female staff should not leave their jobs to concentrate on acquiring higher certificates for promotions but can progress while executing their current jobs. She took them through the importance of career progression and highlighted some elements that will help them progress in their career.
She mentioned that mentorships, coaching, career networking, training and development are important elements for career progression. She urged them to be the best of themselves as they move up the ladder in their various professions.
Presenting on Stress Management, Head of KNUST Counselling Centre, Mrs. Victoria De-Graft Adjei explained that stress is naturally part of human lives, hence, in managing stress as women, they need to manage their time effectively by assigning time for each activity and having a limit to what they can do. Mrs. Adjei encouraged the participants to plan and maintain a balance between family and work, engage in social networking activities, read books, exercise frequently, listen to music, practice self-meditation and self-control.