Establishing Relevance Through Cooperative Education in Ghana: A Study of Central University

This research sought to investigate the perceived relevance of cooperative education to final year students of the Communication Studies Department at Central University (CU) in Ghana. The research employed a qualitative approach to examine how interns perceived the relevance of courses offered by the department to the world of work with emphasis on course utility and relatedness. The study was motivated by the perceived difficulties students face transitioning from higher education to full-time employment. A total of 30 students participated in five focus group sessions. Guided by the concept of cooperative education, the study found that students perceive the internship as a worthwhile initiative although the time allocated to it was considered inadequate for students' skills development. The study concludes that the current learning of students is related to their future careers, but, the internship program is poorly designed and needs some modification.