The University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has ended a Capacity Building and Career Development workshop to support staff and Mentor-Mentee Paring for maximum and quality output to ensure effective teaching and learning.
Besides, the two-day event was also to enhance the competencies of participants to become good role models to facilitate their respective professional advancements for the general progress of the University.
It was organised by the UENR-Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACUs) Professional Development Interactive Seminar (PDIS) under the Climate Impact Research Capacity Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE)-Institutional Strengthening Programme (ISP) of the University.
Participants were over 120 from the Central Administration, Procurement, Works Department, Accounts Unit, Sports Directorate, the Library Unit, I.T Department, Estate Department and the Security Unit with support from the United Kingdom Agency for International Development (UKAID) and the ACU.
Professor Emmanuel Opuni-Frimpong, the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Pro-VC) and the CIRCLE Champion of the University, in an opening remark advised the participants to take advantage of the CIRCLE programme to align themselves to the vision of the University.
CIRCLE is an initiative of the Department for International Development (DfID) of the UKAID to develop the skills and research output of early career African researchers in the field of climate change and its local impacts on development and also support its partnering institutions through the ISP.
He said leaders were expected to guide and encourage their subordinates with innovative ideas for sustainable improvement of the institutions they found themselves.
Hence, the need for the workshop because the ISP programme was a vital tool for the development of every institution as it has been designed to enhance the institutional mandate to effectively teach and conduct research into career development.
Mentorship, Prof. Opuni-Frimpong noted played a very important role in an organisation because it facilitated problem-solving and improved productivity as well as helping the individual to learn how to work collectively to fill in any knowledge gap.
He urged the administrators, heads of departments and units to endeavour to mentor their subordinates for not only ready-made but equally competent personnel to fill imminent future staff gaps for continuous effective management of the University.
Mr. Alfred Ohene Appiah, the Acting Head of Human Resource Division and a facilitator lauded the ISP programme, saying, it had the capacity to support Management with joint benefits for the Mentor and Mentee as well as the empowerment of the University towards numerous goals achievement.
Mr. Solomon Panford, the Registrar, in a presentation stated the programme would provide “nurturing support” for the beneficiaries to get the capacity as researchers and administrators to build upon that to positively impact others and the environment.
Participants were taken through a number of topics including “Developing Your Career as an Administrator/Faculty Member of the University” and “The Importance of Mentoring and its Effects on Employee Output”.
Others were “Understanding the Communication Channels of the University for Effective Administration” and “The Role of an Administrator of the University”.
GNA