The British Council has commissioned a three-year study to explore the role universities in Sub-Sahara Africa can play in promoting graduate employability.

Dr Eric Daniel Ananga of the Institute of Education Research and Innovation Studies and a lead researcher of the study disclosed this at a symposium held at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

It was on the theme: “How Universities in Ghana Can Address the Alleged Job Crisis in the Country.”

Dr Ananga noted that what constitutes quality in university education seems very opaque as there are no clear competency frameworks.

He said there was little clarity on who should audit the quality of university programmes in terms of graduates’ achievements and there was little to communicate about on what constituted employable skills and how that should be developed.

Dr Ananga said assessment of existing research showed that despite global attention to higher education and employability there was a surprisingly weak evidence base.

“Little is known about the causes of poor graduate outcomes and what universities can do to improve their offering,” he said.

The symposium highlighted students’ views on their university experience and employment prospects in addressing the issues of the alleged job crisis in Ghana, as well as challenges relating to engagement between universities and employers.

Professor C.N.B Tagoe, Chairman, National Council for Tertiary Education, and Professor Dowiejua, the Executive Secretary of NTCE, together with representatives from the Ghana Employers Association and Association of Ghana Industries all shared their views on the need to realign university education to develop employability skills of graduates.