A professor of Guidance and Counseling, Prof. Eric Nyarko-Sampson, has highlighted the need for young people to receive counseling and guidance to appropriately fit into the world of work.

According to him, young people were bound to face daunting challenges in their careers if they were not guided to make informed career choices.

"When young people are not fit in an occupation, they will get into challenges such as mental health which will affect their future life or reduce their self-esteem and affect their decision making abilities" he added.

Prof. Nyarko-Sampson, who is also the Vice-Chancellor for the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, therefore, advocated for an Act of Parliament that would make it mandatory for both public and private schools to render guidance services for their students.

He was speaking at his inaugural lecture held at the University of Cape Coast.

Lecture

The lecture, which was on the theme, "Through the Changing Scenes of Life: Finding a Fit in the World of Work", was attended by some notable personalities.

They included the honourable Minister for Energy, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh; the Chairman of the UCC Governing Council, Prof. Obeng Mireku; the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, who chaired the function and some past vice- chancellors of UCC. Also present were the Vice-Chancellors, Pro Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of some sister tertiary institutions among numerous other academicians.

Prof. Nyarko-Sampson being welcomed into the College of Professors ahead of his robing

Prof. Narko-Sampson, during his lecture mentioned that conscious efforts should be made to guide young people to make programme choices that would lead to building careers. Such guided decisions would make them compete favourably in the international world of work in the future.

He also encouraged the youth to embrace career aspirations to augment their career development while acquiring the needed skills to fit into their chosen careers.

He admitted that guidance and counseling had not been effective in schools, partially due to inadequate logistics and funds to support personnel to carry out their duties responsibly. He disagreed with head teachers of some basic and second cycle institutions who appoint counselors on their own volition and asked the Ghana Education Service to sponsor staff to pursue guidance and counseling studies in tertiary institutions, whilst those on the field should be given in-service training.

Prof. Nyarko-Sampson robed as a member of the College of Professors - UCC

Prof. Nyarko-Sampong called on government to clarify the role of career guidance in national development by adopting a multi-sectoral approach to establish a Career Guidance Policy Framework.

Among others, he urged that scholars in universities in Ghana and Africa should undertake various researches that would inform further education and practice in career guidance.

BIODATA

ERIC NYARKO-SAMPSON, PhD, APR, F. AFTRA, FChPA, FCMC, Professor of Guidance and Counselling, began his education at Apowa Methodist School (near Takoradi), then to Abakrampa Methodist Primary School, Boa Amponsem Primary and Middle Schools in Dunkwa-on-Offin, and finally Aboom A. M. E. Zion Middle School, Cape Coast. He attended University Practice Secondary School for his GCE Ordinary Level Certificate and continued to Komenda College (now Komenda College of Education) where he had his initial teacher training education (Certificate “A”).

He holds a Bachelor of Education (Psychology), Master of Philosophy (Guidance & Counselling), and Master of Arts (Human Resource Management), from the University of Cape Coast. He graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Guidance and Counselling, from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.

He was the Foundation Dean, Faculty of Educational Foundations, College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast. As Chairman of Ghana’s National Teaching Council from 2017 to 2020, Eric led the agency of the Ministry of Education in major reforms nationwide in the teaching profession to uphold the standards of teaching by the provision of a quality assurance process to support the delivery of education in pre-tertiary institutions in a professional and competent manner by licensed teachers who have graduated from a recognized teacher training programme.

He is currently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC