Lecturers’ Perceptions of Factors that Attract Talent in a Ghanaian Higher Learning Institution

Abstract

Creating a sustainable competitive advantage requires higher learning institutions to attract, motivate, develop and retain the talented staff they need now and in the future. However, the technical universities in Ghana are facing significant challenges in attracting and retaining talents to academic positions since their conversion. Besides, there exists limited research on factors that attract talented academics to these institutions as preferred employers. The main objective of this study was therefore to examine lecturers' perceptions of factors that attract talents to academic positions within a Ghanaian higher learning institution; in this instance, Sunyani Technical University (STU). A qualitative approach was adopted for this study; semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain data. The study participants comprised of 23 lecturers selected from the university under study. The findings show that nine themes are related to the attraction of talents to the universities: career development and advancement, opportunities to make a contribution, employer branding and prestige, job security, flexible working hours, intellectual stimulation, innovation, opportunity to apply skills and autonomy. The results challenge higher learning institutions to develop a superior employer brand with a strong employee value proposition (EVP) that would attract, develop and reward talented academics for their work efforts. The study provides important practical guidelines that could assist the university studied and other higher learning institutions to attract talented lecturers and become employers of choice.

Assessing the Impact of Continuous Professional Development of Teachers and its Effects on Satisfaction, Achievement, and Engagement: Colleges of Education, Northern Ghana

“…To avoid a dependency relationship on outsiders from forming, the management of Ghana's colleges of education has adopted measures to encourage the capacity building of its teachers (Korantwi-Barimah & Schultz, 2019). The idea is to equip teachers with the right skills to act on teaching and learning issues to foster a sense of ownership and empowerment that helps them gain greater control of their future development (Perry & Bevins, 2019).…”