Don’t make ‘supergrades’ and have nothing to show for them – Maritime University Registrar to students

The level at which students are obsessed with good grades and yet not marketable in the job market has become a source of worry for most lecturers and school authorities.

“Making good grades is obviously important but you cannot make supper grades and have nothing to show for it when indeed one must put out practical knowledge of what was thought in the classroom,” saidDr. the Registrar of Regional Maritime University, Dr. Baboucarr Njie.

Dr. Baboucarr Njie made the comment at a day’s collaborative colloquium at the Regional Maritime University in Accra, Wednesday, May 24, 2023. 

According to him, students must speak up when they are not satisfied with the lecturer’s delivery as it does not amount to disrespect of lecturers adding that this is not a call for students to disrespect any lecturer but ensure value for money to be able to meet the standards of employers. 

Dr. Gabriel Senanu Akapko, the Dean of Graduate School in his opening remarks explained the complex nature of employment which he said begins with a personal vision of what one wants to be, through to whatever is available. 

In his views, job seekers require some skills and experiences which is believed to have been acquired through a number of years prior work elsewhere.

“Research supports the claim that the longer the period of one’s work, the better the skills in transferring knowledge but becomes quite difficult for beginners to get themselves fixed”, Dr. Akakpo opined.

 This paradox he explained, informed the theme of the Colloquium: Job seekers paradox of years of experience before employment: what do employers want and what should job seekers provide. 

Dr. Akakpo was optimistic that the colloquium would help adequately prepare students who become job seekers for the job market. 

Mr. Razak Ngula, Managing Director, Maersk Ghana Limited, an international shipping company, took time to advice students to stay relevant, focused and develop soft skills to make them valid in the job market.

Mr. Ngula bemoaned the low level of females in the technical area and advised female students to endeavor to veer into this male dominated area explaining that a lot of opportunities await them. 

The Ag. Vice Chancellor of the Regional Maritime University, Dr. Jethro W. Brooks Jnr.  Who chaired the colloquium, warned students to be mindful of what they make of social media as employers have resorted to investigate potential employees by viewing their social media to know their contents. 

Mr. Charles Asiedu Sey, branch manager of Ghana Shippers Authority encouraged students to put in their best even though artificial Intelligence has taken over the space occupied by humans amidst shrinking economies with leaner employability capacity. 

He was of the view that regardless of the changing trends, such orientations is appropriate in updating students to up their game and engage varied approaches to enter the job space. 

A master of Arts, Ports and shipping administration students, Loic Bekwike Leke, was however happy about the Colloquium and referred to the session as eye opening and insightful. He urged authorities to endeavor to have such engagements to prepare students for better opportunities.