The Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) has pledged to support the implementation of the YouStart Policy to achieve optimal returns if the policy comes into force in 2022.
In a matriculation speech for the 2021 batch of sandwich students recently, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Frederick Kwaku Sarfo, observed that the policy is a good one that could go a long way to improving the joblessness that bedevils the country.
In his view, the fact that the government was making funds available alone could not achieve the anticipated success, hence the need for AAMUSTED to urgently do its bit to help. Therefore, he appealed to the government, benevolent organisations, alumni, and capable individuals to extend support to augment the tireless efforts of the Governing Council and Management towards the development of AAMUSTED.
Again, Prof. Sarfo announced that since November 2020, the university has been carrying out a comprehensive needs assessment exercise to review and restructure its programmes and activities towards achieving the target of producing graduates with competencies that best fit the changing demands of society.
He said the university’s consultations with industry players, TVET institutions and experts, employers, employees, and alumni, among others, as part of the exercise, was an eye-opening experience. Therefore, he was sure that the graduates to be produced by AAMUSTED would be unique for their critical thinking, practicality, high productivity, entrepreneurial excellence, and social responsiveness.
About 2,950 people applied for undergraduate and postgraduate sandwich programmes at the close of the university’s admission application process, of which a total of 2,430, representing 82.4%, were offered admissions.
Meanwhile, at the close of registration, 1,151 undergraduates and 301 postgraduates, totaling 1,452 of the admitted students, including 828 females, had registered and were duly matriculated.
AAMUSTED is Ghana’s newest public university with a mandate to provide higher education in technical, vocational, and entrepreneurial training towards developing skilled manpower for job creation and socio-economic development. It is a TVET and Entrepreneurial Development Teacher Education University.
AAMUSTED is working together with industry and the community to provide holistic training for teachers in TVET and entrepreneurial development and other professionals to teach in TVET institutions to contribute to the employability of all. Ultimately, AAMUSTED is the educational path for preparing students to become socially responsible and gain the right professional competencies and critical-thinking skills for life-long learning.