Some final-year sandwich students from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Education (DHTE) at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) have indicated their readiness to go into self-employment after graduation. They have attributed their poise mainly to the detailed knowledge they have acquired as part of their training in AAMUSTED.
The students made those comments when they participated in an exhibition the DHTE organised to assess the practical works of the final-year students on June 23, 2022. It was under the theme- Contextualizing Ghanaian Breakfast: Meaning and Trends.
The DHTE is a department under the Faculty of Vocational Education (FVE) where the assessment of students’ practical work has been made a requirement for graduation in a bid to improve the practicality of programmes to give meaning to the University’s mandates. AAMUSTED is mandated, among others, to prepare entrepreneurs capable of establishing businesses to change the unemployment narrative saddling the nation.
The students were happy about the improved practicality of the programme at the University, hoping that much of the academic work would be practical rather than theories.
One of them, Mr. Isaac Chenyun, said he would not delay launching a culinary business as a part-time job after graduation even though he is a teacher. He was excited about the exposures in AAMUSTED, which he would gracefully impart to his students.
Another, Ms. Sabina Pwasam, said the programme got a bit challenging because the practicals required students to spend a little more than usual. However, she said it was worth it if students compared the knowledge gained. She said her exposure to various local breakfast trends would spur her to introduce them to the community of her domicile.
She encouraged Ghanaians to pay more attention to Technical and Vocational Education programmes since that was a major way out of the unemployment situation in the country.
On exhibition were apkle with okro stew, oblayo, kaaklo, kokonte with groundnut soup, banku, beef konkora, koose, zoom koom, nuomolu, millet porridge, tubani, tuo zafi, waakye, Bambara beans with corn, aprapransa, yam hunuu, gari fufu with ntitiee, fufu and fomfom with fried fish. The assessment prioritized areas including packaging, labeling, safety, and presentation.
Opening the exhibition earlier, the Dean of the FVE, Dr. Gilbert Owiah Sampson, encouraged them to commit themselves to translate the knowledge gained to open up businesses to employ others. Otherwise, he said the efforts and sacrifices they made during the programme would come to naught. Dr. Owiah assured them that the Faculty would keep exploring ways to make its programmes some of the best anywhere and at every level. He, therefore, asked the students to encourage others to come to AAMUSTED for their education because the University is one of the best in the country.
For her part, the Head of the DHTE, Dr. (Mrs.) Ellen Louise Olu Fabgemi explained that the training would enable the students to work in eateries and set up their businesses. She hoped that the students would maximize the knowledge gained from AAMUSTED to better their lots in life.
