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Have you ever seen footballers go to go play matches without training? Not so often! They are going to get knocked out by a highly prepared team. Experience is always the best teacher. Graduate unemployment is a serious canker in Ghana – it has impoverished hundreds of thousands of qualified job seekers.
However, if you critically examine the deplorable situation of unemployment, you will realize that it is much more difficult to interpret “graduate unemployment”. As we point accusing fingers at our political leaders about graduate unemployment, we must equally understand that there is “graduate inexperience”.
Nowadays, a huge chunk of undergraduates just sees the university campus as a playground to loiter about. During long vacations or school sessions, some students don’t spend their time profitably to gain or improve a skill. In the end, they graduate with very little experience relevant to the job market. This contributes to their unemployment mess after graduation.
If you are a continuous student or a graduate, this article will reveal useful information about how you could gain more work experience.
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How to Gain Work Experience as an Undergraduate or Graduate
You must be grateful and proud of your university education – you probably went through thick and thin to get admission. But do not forget that studentship comes with responsibilities. Remind yourself that after graduation, you cannot afford to get trapped into that pitiful group known as “Association of Unemployed Graduates”.
To escape joblessness, it starts with early preparation by signing up for internships as we expound below in subsequent sections. Internship experience acquired upon completion will increase your chances of getting a entry level jobs in ghana.
Internships
It refers to a job or task taken by a student in order to learn or gain experience in a profession. For instance, if you are a student in a teacher-training institution, you can use your vacation time to do a teaching internship at a basic school.
Unlike apprenticeship which involves a trainee learning a trade from a master, an internship lets you try your hands on a job. It could either be a paid job or an unpaid one.
For students offering industry-focused programs such as the sciences, engineering, health, pharmacy, and the like, you could apply to do internships at companies or organizations that offer training relating to your field. Examples are: VRA, Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies, Research Institutes, etc.
The Essence of Internship to Undergraduates and Graduates
Gaining Experience: In Ghana, most internships offer on-the-job training to the interns. This gives them experience and certification necessary for job applications.
It Tests a Career: The best way to explore your future career is to do an internship relating to that career. After completing the internship, you would know whether a career suits you or not.
Improves Skills: Through an internship, you may get to discover more of your weaknesses or strengths. It affords you a rare chance to gain skills from senior workers, e.g supervisors.
Financial Reward: Most Ghanaian internships are unpaid, but if you are lucky, you could earn money from a paid internship.
Conclusion
The best preparation for the job market is, taking internships. You will gain experience, skills, confidence, stronger connections, and sometimes money. Internships also give you a chance to explore your dream job.
Make good use of vacation times to learn a skill. Remember, the devil finds work for idle hands.