Young people have been advised to be intentional about their growth in making the right career choices. According to experts, young people should consider current and future employment opportunities available when making a career choice.

These were some of the key highlights shared by a two-member panel of human resource experts at a recently held Absa Bank’s ReadytoWork webinar series to educate Ghanaian youth on how to make the right career choices.

Speaking on the topic “The power plan for choosing a major and a career”, Rev. Dr. Mrs. Bridget Ben-Naimah, Senior Counsellor and Acting Director at the University of Ghana Careers and Counselling Centre, noted that it is important for young people to identify their interests and abilities while exploring options and opportunities to make the right career decision.

“Young people should know their abilities, interests and values when choosing a career path. There are a good number of job opportunities and all you need is an implementing plan towards achieving your career goals,” said Dr. Ben-Naimah.

Dr. Ben-Naimah who gave some helpful career growth tips, advised students to constantly engage their academic counsellors and engage in internships to unearth their strengths and talent. She also charged them to participate in special programmes tailored towards career development to add on to their knowledge.

Global changes in the use of technology and the nature of work have urgent implications on how we educate and prepare young people for the World of Work. Employers are increasingly looking for people who are agile, flexible, adaptable, proactive, creative and collaborative.

From the employer perspective, Ms. Sylvia Mbama, People Business Partner at Absa Bank Ghana advised young graduates to be “work ready, creative and be able to share fresh ideas that will make an impact”.

“In employing young graduates, organisations look out for people who are self-aware and are intentional about their career growth. We look for one’s soft skills such as good communication, organizational and leadership skills and even future skills,” said Ms. Mbama.

Ms. Mbama encouraged young people to do a SWOT analysis of themselves to discover their true self. “As an individual, you need to know your strengths and weaknesses and find out which areas you need to work on in terms of your career so that when the opportunity comes you are ready to take it.”

The Absa ReadytoWork programme is designed to provide young people with the needed skills that will help them transition smoothly from the lecture room to the world of work. The programme supports students with tools that stimulates the development of work skills, people skills, money skills and entrepreneurial skills. It’s an online training tool that enables participants to choose a path and pace to complete the modules at no cost.

The monthly ReadytoWork webinar is an additional platform through which industry experts share valuable employability and job market insights with the youth to quicken their transition into gainful employment, either as an employee or entrepreneur.