By: Mercy Darko
Government is to set up a Ghana Skills Development Fund to help unearth and nurture skills in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET.
Vice President, Mahamudu Bawumia, who announced this, said it will complement existing initiatives to improve TVET in Ghana.
The Vice President identified TVET as a key catalyst for sustainable development and growth, stressing that the Ghana Beyond Aid mantra will be achieved when the youth are equipped with skills.
He made these remarks at the opening of the 2021 World Skills Ghana National Skills Competition and TVET Expo in Accra.
Ghana is the 81st country to join World Skills International which currently has about 85 countries subscribing to it. The initiative seeks to among other things inspire world-class excellence in skills development, introduce the youth to a variety of skilled careers and build capacity through exchange programmes.
It is also focused on building the confidence of millions of young people to turn their passions into professions. The competition seeks to change the negative perception about TVET and increase enrolment in that field.
Vice President Bawumia, acknowledged the critical role of TVET, in developing human resources and mentioned some of the initiatives rolled out for technical and vocational education.
A Deputy Minister of Education, Gifty Twum Ampofo, touched on the two laws aimed at making TVET more attractive and globally competitive.
Director General of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, said TVET, will provide the needed skills to address the yawning gap between training institutions and industry.
The 3-day event will see 733 participants showcase their skills in electrical installation, cooking, carpentry, brick-laying, welding, graphic design among others.
