By Bertha Badu-Agyei
Accra, Sept 12, GNA – Dr Yaw Adutwum, Minister for Education has stated that Ghana’s Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) transformation has a clear path to bridge the gap between Skills acquisition and academics.
“We must shift focus from the long-held perception that TVET equipped the youth to only set up their own small businesses or become entrepreneurs from the scratch to a well-defined sector to feed industry and the labour market.
That, he said was part oof the objectives of the transformation drive to introduce standardisation in the TVET sector for students to be absorbed by the labour market or industry to define the critical role of TVET in creating Job opportunities to for the youth.
Dr Adutwum said this when an Advocacy Team on TVET called on him to share some gaps identified in the implementation of TVET sector reforms and deliberate on ways to make the sector a choice for the youth.
The Minister said industry certification and skills certification were some of the key areas government was placing emphasis on in the TVET reforms to bridge gap between the informal and formal sectors in terms of employment and job placement.
He said the expansion and retooling of Technical and Vocational institutions were all part of plans to produce serious compact with the private sector participation in the skills development and general promotion of TVET.
The Advocacy Team is a group of eminent members selected from industry, academia, civil society organisations and experts on TVET under the auspices of the Vocational Training for Females (VTF) Programme, a not-for-profit organization.
Ms Linda Agyei, Director of VTF Programme described TVET in Ghana now as a sector under revolution and highly commended the Minister for his able leadership and direction which was creating the impact in that sector.
However, “there are gaps we want to look at, so the potholes in the implementation do not derail the smooth take off and drive” she said.
She mentioned the free TVET policy which excludes an aspect of the population, CBT implementation and accreditation process which was slow and rigid and inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Mr Tsornam Akpelòo, Member of the advocacy team and a leading member of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) on his part commended the Minister for the five-year strategic plan for the TVET sector.
He mentioned the construction of TVET schools and the increased admission and the rapid development of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) schools and applauded the Minister for the gains made so far.
GNA