Professor Ben Honyenuga, Vice-Chancellor (VC), Ho Technical University (HTU), has urged graduates of the University to practicalise knowledge they acquired to support the development of the country.

He said a collective effort was required to ensure that the country attained the desired growth, which the graduating students must support for accelerated development.

"It is my hope that the graduands will hit the ground running and excel in areas of expertise for progress and development."

Professor Honyenuga, who was speaking at the 21st Congregation of the University charged the graduates to become versatile in the world of work.

The VC said the University had provided the graduands with the needed technical and entrepreneurial skills ready for the job market and admonished them to use their skills to create new jobs for themselves and to employ others.

He said as part of efforts to limit the spread of the virus in the school, and to ensure continuity of academic work, the University had adopted a blended teaching and learning mode through regulated face-to-face interactions and online sessions through the HTU Learning Management System (LMS).

Professor Honyenuga said graduates of the University now had a clear career path of progression after completing, due to expansion of the University's programmes to include a "four-year direct and Top-Up Bachelor degree programmes.

He said the Top-Up Bachelor degree programmes of the University were aimed at deepening the practical and hands-on orientation and skills acquisition of graduates and further provided them with the advanced technical knowledge required in the world of work.

The Professor stressed the need for a Bachelor degree programmes of the University sets to define a clear and logical career path for academic and professional progression of all graduates of the University.

He was grateful to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) for giving the University approval to run these programmes, disclosing that the University was making tremendous progress in those programmes and achieving positive results.

The VC disclosed that they were working on a proposal for the introduction of Bachelor of Technology degree programme in Industrial Art under the Faculty of Arts and Design, which they hoped would receive the needed approval in due course.

He said the University was poised to produce well-grounded graduates to improve the overall fortunes and transformation of the creative arts industry locally and globally.

Professor Honyenuga disclosed that the University had introduced professional accounting programmes at the Department of Accounting and Finance and signed a Memorandum of Understandings with some professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

Professor Emmanuel James Flolu, Chairman of the University Council, admonished the graduands to work hard to achieve their dreams, using the excellent knowledge they had received.

He congratulated them for their sacrifices and hard work, urging them to be food ambassadors of the University.

A total of 1,079 students graduated with various honours in Bachelor of Technology (B.Tec.) and National Higher Diploma programmes.

A total of 130 graduands obtained First Class, 612 Second Class Upper, 309 Second Class Lower while 28 obtained passes.

Master Selassie Kelvin Massiata, was adjudged the overall best student.