Tema, April 2, GNA-- The Ghana Civil Service (GCS) will this year recruit about 600 university graduates into the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Service. Consequently, the Service on Wednesday conducted examination for the 1,372 applicants at the Tema office of the West African Examination Council.

Mr Okyere Darko-Ababio, Director in-charge of Recruitment, Training and Development, who said these after the examination at Tema on Wednesday.

He said the applicants would be short-listed for interview to ensure the recruitment of only qualified and skilful applications into the various (MDAs) including the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Local Government and Rural Development and Environment, Education Science and Sports.

Mr Darko-Ababio said successful applicants would be graded into the first level managerial positions as Assistant Directors, Planning, Budgetary and Economic officers among others. He said the number of applicants for this year has increased as against the 500 applicants who applied in 2005 which was the last time such examination was conducted.

Mr Darko-Ababio said the Civil Service was re-focusing its programmes on business oriented organisations in order to relate well with the private sector.

He said the Service was expected to deliver the best "goods and services" and this required the employment of qualified people to drive the objective through.

Mr Okyere said he did not know the time for the next recruitment because the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning was the sole institution that could make budgetary allocation for the exercise. Madam Alberta Kwarko, Deputy Director of the GCS, urged all workers of the Service and the youth to avail themselves of the numerous training institutions, programmes and opportunities at their disposal to upgrade their knowledge and skills.