Industrial Liaison Office (ILO) & Job Placement Centre (JPC)
A Message from the Sectional Head
Welcome to the Industrial Liaison Office (ILO) and Job Placement Centre (JPC) at Bolgatanga Technical University. We exist to build strong, practical connections between academic training and the demands of the workforce. Our mission is to equip students with real-world skills through structured internships, industrial attachments, international exchanges, and career readiness initiatives. Every year, we facilitate meaningful industry exposure for over 1,200 students across all departments. Despite limited staffing, our team remains driven by innovation, professionalism, and a commitment to national development. We invite industry leaders, alumni, and stakeholders to partner with us in shaping a new generation of skilled, adaptable, and globally competitive graduates.
About the Office
As a critical arm of the BTU Registry, the ILO operates as the university's bridge to industry and external partners. Its core responsibilities include coordinating industrial attachments and internships for students, monitoring field supervision, evaluating student performance, and ensuring compliance with academic and industry standards. The ILO also leads the development of employability training programmes, organizes career mentorship and entrepreneurship workshops, and mobilizes external resources for projects that advance student readiness and institutional visibility. It plays a central role in international collaboration by drafting mobility proposals, managing exchange programmes, and supporting global engagement strategies. In addition, the Office supervises auxiliary services such as the University Clinic and supports ongoing initiatives.
Key Programmes of the Unit
🏭 Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP)
The Industrial Attachment Programme (IAP) is the Office's flagship initiative, annually placing over 1,200 students in real-world industry settings. These placements are backed by structured supervision from more than 30 academic and management staff who assess student performance through field visits, written reports, and evaluations.
📋 Whole-Semester Internship
A whole-semester internship model for Level-400 students in selected Departments such as Department of Industrial Art, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Automobile/Mechanical Engineering, which includes independent projects, oral presentations, and business collaborations.
🎯 Career & Employability Activities
The Office facilitates Precision Quality (PQ) Integration training in partnership with the Design & Technology Institute (DTI), supports women-led ventures through the HerStart social entrepreneurship programme with Youth Challenge International, and has successfully led grant proposals such as the Daycare Centre construction funded by the Australian High Commission. The Centre further supports skills development workshops, career orientation sessions, and sensitization campaigns including those on sexual harassment and professional ethics. BTU has also launched international staff and student exchange projects.
Strategic Partnerships & Collaborations
🤝 BTU / Design & Technology Institute (DTI/MCF) Partnership
The partnership seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Integrate PQ training a year before programme completion in departments such as Industrial Arts and Fashion, Agricultural Engineering, Hospitality Management, Secretaryship and Management Studies
- Equip 350 unemployed graduates with relevant employability skills, facilitating their transition to the workforce
- Implement a 6-month upskilling programme (Precision Internship) to assist unemployed alumni
- Strengthen capacities of Alumni Leadership and provide tools and resources to operationalize alumni activities
- Collaborate with BTU to strengthen the capabilities of the Career Centre (ILO & JPC)
- Facilitate industry mentorship programmes connecting students with professionals
- Provide select learners with startup kits and apprenticeship support kits to foster entrepreneurship
- Organize job fairs and networking events with potential employers
👩💼 BTU / YCI Partnership
With Youth Challenge International, the Office delivers the HerStart programme to equip young women with entrepreneurship skills and grant-writing support.
🎓 BTU / FAWE-MCP Collaboration
The Office partnered with the Forum for African Women Educationalists and the Mastercard Foundation to secure 50 STEM bursaries for underprivileged students, 90% of whom are female.
🏫 BTU / Education Collaborative (EduCollab) / Ashesi University
Collaboration with Ashesi University through the Education Collaborative supports regional efforts in innovation, employability, and policy development. Through this collaboration, the University has participated in a series of Annual Convenings to share experiences in technical education, employability, entrepreneurship, and faculty development.
- Accessed $3,000 from Ashesi University for the Employers Skills Seminars (EMSIS) project
- Accessed $5,000 for the Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre (EIC) project
- Staff have benefited from various capacity building activities organized by the Collaborative
🌍 International Partnerships
The Erasmus+ KA171 programme has opened doors for academic exchange, while support from the Australian High Commission enabled the design and near-completion of an on-campus Daycare Centre, constructed with student labour and faculty guidance as a hands-on learning project.
Vision
To be the leading university-industry bridge producing globally competitive, skilled graduates.
Mission
To equip students with real-world skills through structured internships, industrial attachments, international exchanges, and career readiness initiatives.
Impact
Over 1,200 students placed annually across all departments with supervision from 30+ academic and management staff.
Key Partners
DTI/MCF, Youth Challenge International, FAWE/Mastercard Foundation, Ashesi University (EduCollab), Erasmus+ KA171, Australian High Commission.