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Mr Paul Dzandu, the Deputy Executive Secretary, National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) Saturday urged Ghana’s pioneer technical universities to establish stronger linkages with industry to strengthen the competency base of academic staff and students.

Those institutions must also re-orient their staff, students and auxiliaries to the new culture that comes with their new status, he remarked at the 16thCongregation of the Ho Polytechnic.

The Ho Polytechnic is one of six Polytechnics selected for conversion into Technical Universities in the country, President John Mahama told Parliament in his state- of- the-nation address last Thursday.

Mr Dzandu assured the remaining Polytechnics that “the door is not closed” as there were guidelines to measure their readiness for conversion into Technical Universities.

A total of 888 students graduated with Bachelor of Technology in Hospitality and Tourism Management, Automobile Engineering and Agricultural Engineering, and Higher National Diploma.

A total of 60 graduates attained first class, 406 had second class upper, 410 had second class lower and 13 had passes.

Mr Dzandu explained that the six pioneer Technical Universities satisfied the rigorous assessment procedures using criteria in conformity with international best practices.

Mr Francis Ganyaglo, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, who was the guest speaker, reminded the Polytechnic that its new status comes with greater responsibilities, challenges and expectations.

He said the excellent performances of alumni on the job market testified to the quality training they received while they were students in the Polytechnic.

Mr Ganyaglo, a former student and lecturer of the Polytechnic, traced its development as a Technical Institute in 1968 to provide pre-technical education.

By 1972 it had made tremendous progress in upgrading its courses from pre-technical to engineering and vocational fields and became a Polytechnic in 1986 though operated as a second-cycle institution.

The Ho Polytechnic was however upgraded into a fully-fledged Polytechnic by PNDC Law 321.

Mr Ganyaglo advised the new graduates to take advantage of several opportunities to upgrade themselves professionally and academically and establish their own businesses.

He tasked them to adapt and keep working hard wherever they found themselves because sacrifice, discipline and hard-work opened doors.

Professor Emmanuel Sakyi, Rector of the school, said the Polytechnic has positioned itself to be the best in the country and to offer opportunities across all disciplines for its students.

He said the Polytechnic takes social sciences seriously because these are needed by science and technically inclined students to become versatile.

Professor Sakyi said the Polytechnic had instituted bursaries to encourage female students to pursue professions in the science and engineering fields.

He appealed to the GETFUND to complete a number of projects which have been at a standstill for about ten years.

Professor Sakyi also appealed to the Ghana Education Service to help improve the stock of books at the Polytechnic’s library.

He said the Polytechnic has opened campuses at Hohoe, Nkwanta, Sogakope and Aflao to expand opportunities for more students.