Tropical Cable collaborates with KNUST to promote student competency

Indigenous cable manufacturer, Tropical Cable and Conductor Ltd, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) which paves the way for both organisations to collaborate to improve the technical expertise of students graduating from the university.

The co-operation will be in the interest of industry since competent and skilled manpower will be provided, with the university supporting the company with the extension services to improve its operations.

The Managing Director of TCCL, Mr Tony Oteng-Gyasi, signed the memorandum on behalf of his company, while Professor Nii Odai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, also signed on behalf of KNUST. This was at the maiden international conference on Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship (ESTE 2015) organised by the College of Engineering, KNUST on August 6-7, 2015 at the university premises in Kumasi.

The MoU was witnessed by Professor S. I. K. Ampadu, Provost, College of Engineering on behalf of KNUST, and Mr Z. Bonikowski, Technology Director, on behalf of TCCL.

The conference was on the theme ‘Promoting, Creating and Innovating through Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship for Development’. It was sponsored by TCCL, Cargill, Odebrecht, the Volta River Authority, CAL Bank and the Ghana Institution of Engineers.

Areas for co-operation

The MoU outlines areas for collaboration and co-operation, which include:

Internships and field trips: TCCL will offer third-year students of engineering a minimum of eight weeks of supervised training during the long vacation and also endeavour to open its project sites to KNUST students on field trips.

In addition, “KNUST will select, place and monitor the performance of students sent to TCCL for industrial training.”

Equipment support and awards: The company will consider allowing staff and students access to its laboratories and to use some of its equipment for the purposes of research.

Again, it “shall establish an award for the best students in Metallurgical Engineering as a way of encouraging excellence.”

Industrial seminars and career fairs: As part of the MoU, TCCL will endeavour to take part in industrial presentation seminars to serve as a platform for senior and experienced engineers from industry to share their thoughts and experiences with students.

On the other hand, KNUST will provide the platform for TCCL to make presentations to students, including the provision of classrooms. TCCL could use such presentations to conduct interviews and aptitude tests for graduating students as part of the recruitment process.

For TCCL

Further, KNUST will support and provide various services to TCCL in the areas of technical support, workshop, seminars and any other areas that will be mutually beneficial to the parties or the country in general.

Both parties undertook to “act in good faith and fairness and to adopt all reasonable measures to ensure the realisation of the objective of the MoU.”