The Executive Director and founder of Tebah Educational Initiative (T.E.I.), Mrs. Viola Tebah Yanyi-Ampah is advocating for National Service Personnel in Ghana to be posted and placed in fields related to their course of study.
She argued that National Service is a stepping-stone for the success of every graduate who intends to enter the professional space, hence placing service personnel in their related field of study would equip them with practical skills.
Such posting would also help the personnel with operational knowledge that can be applied in the work field and empower them to be more creative and productive in their field of study.
Mrs. Yanyi-Ampah stated this at the Ghana News Agency Stakeholder engagement for state and non-state actors to contribute to national development.
“Why will an accounting or business student work in a hospital just because he or she has been posted there? We need to look at that and put the business students in the business field because that is their pathway. Let’s not change their interest,” she said.
Mrs. Yanyi-Ampah urged the government as well as the authorities to put in place measures to ensure personnel were posted to organizations that would help build on the knowledge and skills acquired from school to make meaningful contributions to the growth of the country.
She noted that TEI organized three professional networking platforms dubbed “Meet and Greet” for students of some tertiary schools in Accra, Takoradi, and Techiman, which aimed at bringing young professionals together to be educated, mentored, and build their skills to meet the demands of the corporate world.
“As they go into the professional field, we want to contribute our quota by ensuring that they have the needed skills,” she said.
Mrs. Yanyi-Ampah said there were opportunities available through contacts provided by the organisation to equip young people with skills to fulfil their purpose in life.
She revealed that TEI, a non-profit organization, strives to encourage students to be exceptional and promote individual growth through academic achievement.
Mr. Alexander Yanyi-Ampah, Lead Vice President for Tebah Educational Initiative, noted that national service, internships, or attachments help students gain valuable work experience, fulfil educational requirements, and also provide materials to be added to their resumes.
“Sometimes mismatching the skills acquired by a tertiary graduate and the skills required by an employer in an organization can be a disadvantage to service personnel.”
He added that in order for students to be effectively functional in various organizations, grooming them, coaching them, and mentoring them in their own related fields of study will give them the opportunity to build and link theoretical studies to the work field.
“TEI is to provide educational supplies to students and provide training and mentorship programmes for the youth across the globe to help them become responsible leaders,” he said.
“TEI is a non-governmental organisation that is determined to put young professionals on a path of leadership,” he said.
It uses creative methods to encourage disadvantaged students to excel by offering mentorship, summer camps, and after-school activities.