Cape Coast, March 5, GNA - Mr Paul Effah, Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education, on Thursday called on Polytechnic graduates to be innovative and disciplined to enable them to compete in job market. He said "Broaden your horizon by not only acquiring knowledge and skills in your own disciplines, but go outside your comfort zones to stimulate your thinking" he emphasized. Mr. Effah was speaking at the launch of the 33rd Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students, on the theme: "Technology and Entrepreneurial Development for Economic Growth: the Challenges of our Educational System", at Cape Coast Polytechnic on Wednesday. He appealed to the country's Polytechnic authorities to periodically organize job fairs so that business organisations and industries could share their experiences with students. Mr. Effah said such programmes would enable the business community and industries to educate students on job opportunities and required skills so that they could make informed choices.

He stressed that Polytechnics should produce graduates with knowledge and skills relevant to the labour market and national economy. Mr. Effah also called on Polytechnics to include internship and industrial attachments in their curriculum so that students could become used to modern equipment and technology. Mr. Effah expressed regret that some developing countries including Ghana could not add value to raw materials and develop its own human resource for industrialisation. Mr. Ato Panford, Chairman of Western and Central Regions branch of the Association of Ghana Industries, called for the promotion of technology and entrepreneurial development towards industrialization of the country. Dr Joseph Annan, Deputy Minister of Education, in a speech read on his behalf, said government would support Polytechnics to produce the necessary skills needed for industrial development. Professor Robert Nkum, Rector of Cape Coast Polytechnic, charged the National Council to assist Polytechnics to train people in the requisite skills to facilitate the country's industrialization. 5 March 10 Attention recipients, item 01 ends first cast.