Towards Graduate Employment: ServFest 22 to the rescue

April 11, 2022, Accra: The World Bank estimates that more than 110,000 of Ghanaian youth graduate from universities every year but the low economic output means that the vast majority will remain unemployed for at least 10 years (Graphiconline, 2022). In another report, a survey by Ghana Statistical Service found that graduates spent an average of five years job-hunting. Experts, including the World Bank, have called for more investments in career guidance and counseling, work-based learning, coaching and mentoring to equip young people with the skills needed for work.

As if these were not daunting enough, recent data from the Institute of Statistics, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana, have revealed that only 10 per cent of graduates find jobs after their first year of completing school (GNA/Citinews). The data also indicated that it is taking longer for a large number of graduates to secure employment due to varied challenges.

What happens therefore to university graduates after they complete their mandatory one-year National Service to the nation? What interventions are there to assist them in their chosen career paths? What happens to the expectations of their parents and guardians? How do these ‘future leaders’ contribute their quota to the national development?

The management and events consultancy firm Kotlers Management has put together an initiative that is calculated to arrest this age-old problem of graduate unemployment. Kotlers is organizing its first annual ‘Service Personnel Festival’ dubbed ‘ServFest 22’ this August to bring Service Personnel who have recently completed their mandatory national obligation together with job coaches, employers, government agencies and other career opportunities.

ServFest 22, a private idea as national solution, is a festival that will celebrate National Service Personnel for their service to the Nation and introduce them into the labour market.

“ServFest 22 aims to recognize and celebrate the invaluable role played by National Service Personnel to the socio-economic development of the nation. More importantly, the festival will offer the opportunity for service personnel to share their experiences and also brainstorm innovative entrepreneurial ideas that may become successful business start-ups and global brands in the future”, explains Kotlers Management Services Managing Director Samuel Ogyiri Sackey.

“The two-day festival will bring under one roof recruitment agencies and corporate organizations and thus provide the opportunity for a section of the National Service Personnel who have completed their period of service to be employed”, he added.

Kotlers Management would select coordinators nationwide to sensitize stakeholders about this innovative event. Kotlers Management will partner government institutions, multinational agencies, private companies and other individuals to ensure the success of the event.

ServFest 22 seeks to bring together over 100,000 participants.

Kotlers Management was established in 2003 with specialty in rendering services in the areas of Business Management Consultancy, International trade and Partnership, Event Management, Marketing and Educational services. It’s signature events include the Banking and Insurance Fair which brings financial institutions under a single roof to interact with stakeholders and the general public.

Kotlers Management was part of the National Planning Committee for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs AU Day Celebrations.