The Head of Department at Hospitality and Tourism Management at the Tamale Technical University (TaTU), Dr. Alhassan Fatawu has appealed to the government and other benevolent groups to come to the aid of the institution by providing them with a state-of-the-art food production laboratory that would facilitate effective practical skills of students at the department.
He said the department urgently needed modern food laboratory that is well equipped and spacious enough to facilitate practical learnings by students that will prepare them to handle tasks on the job market.
According to him, equipment used in any food production laboratory are expensive and the existing ones in the institution were either outmoded or insufficient to match the growing number of students that are being enrolled under the programme, thus making it very difficult for effective practical work
Dr. Fatawu made the appeal on the sidelines of an annual exhibition of Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, TaTU. The Exhibition, which is the 17th edition to be hosted was to showcase the final year students’ craftsmanship and skills in culinary arts, beverage making and sugar crafts among others. It held under the theme: “sustainable hospitality; green today, thriving tomorrow.’
The exhibition attracted the institution’s management, faculty members, and students among other personalities in the hospitality space who used the platform for mentorship and networking.
Dr. Fatawu said to enable the country at large deal with the growing challenge of graduate unemployment, it was necessary to consider turning attention to the hospitality sector which he added, is the fasting growing industry globally and in Ghana, isn’t left out.
“The hospitality industry is one that has many opportunities that is untapped. It has the capacity to create jobs for youth on their own and especially for us in northern Ghana, the training we are offering at TaTU is helping to bridge the educational gap between males and females, he added.
The HoD said among all the 10 Technical Universities in the country, TaTU has more number of students pursuing Hospitality related programs and about 90 percent of the ratio are female, hence the State or government should pay attention to that field by responding to the challenges so that they churn out quality output.
Patron for the Hospitality and Tourism Management student, Alhassan Yahaya who also lectures at the HTM department at TaTU, on his part, stated that; as part of their graduation requirement, every year, graduating students are expected to showcase the practical aspect of their course.
He added that emphasis had been placed on encouraging the students to use local materials by not only adding value, but diversifying their uses like turning farm produce into fufu flour, and through such creativity and innovation, they will be in better positions to create jobs for themselves instead of waiting on the government.
The patron said the department expects its products to put everything learnt during the course of study into practice, instead of lamentations adding that these will sustain them and their families.
The Vice president of the HTM Students, Philemon Mba Anamooh described the training received from the department as “educating” explaining that it has enable him overcome his fear since it’s a female dominated area, but they need tools and equipment to practice more to face the job market.
Story By: Nelson Adanuti Nyadror |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana
