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May42021

Asantehene reiterates need for more investments in TVET education

Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reiterated the need for the country to invest more in skills training and development.

He said technical and vocational education and training (TVET) remains critical to empower the informal sector and enhance Ghana’s economy.

The Asantehene made the call during a courtesy call on him by the Council of the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.

Established by an Act of Parliament, the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) is expected to spearhead the government’s vision to engender job creation and industrialisation.

This is expected to be done through effective technical and vocational education and training.

The Asantehene observed Ghana’s economic growth can accelerate if government pumps enough investment into technical and entrepreneurial education.

The University council was inaugurated on November 27, 2020, after Otumfuo assisted in the establishment of the University.

Council members and other university staff called on the Asantehene to express appreciation for his contribution.

“We deemed it befitting to come to Otumfuo and express out appreciation for the work that he did for establishing the university and then to highlight on the mandate of the university which is to see to equipping teachers and granting them the competencies needed to train teachers who will train students in the area of entrepreneurial, and TVET,” said the University Council Chairman, Akwasi Agyemang.

He added that the mandate of the school by achieving it will contribute to the decline in unemployment in the Ghana.

“…to help students to develop entrepreneurial skills to set up on their own after school, if we do what is right which is in the mandate of the university train people in the area of TVET, people can establish themselves, so we came to have this discussion with Otumfuo and also seek his blessings and seek his directions for the university.”

Research
Mr Agyemang says the University will accord special attention to research to enhance business growth and the TVET industry.

“Decision-making cannot be done just by looking at situations, decisions have to be influenced by empirical evidence and research results. So research is very key in every institution. Today, people get into businesses and collapse because they lacked research work to support the decision to establish the business.

Industries collapse because no feasibility studies are done, but good research will come out to raise the issues and weigh the pros and cons of every situation and help every situation. And we felt having a state-of-the-art library will help“.

He therefore appealed to the Asantehene to support the school with residential facilities together with a library to aid research.

Meanwhile, the Asantehene advised the Council to foster unity to advance the growth of the University.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com

April302021

Promotion Of Technical Education: Tvet Ambassadors Visit Schools In Accra

AdministratorNews

As part of activities aimed at encouraging students and the general public especially parents on the need to choose technical and vocational schools, the Ambassadors for Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) have begun a campaign of visiting students in the Junior High Schools in order to sensitize them on the importance of choosing technical and vocational schools.

The Campaign dubbed “MYTVET Campaign” seeks to change the negative perceptions among students and the general public about technical and vocational schools.

The schools they visited included Bishop Bowers School and Abossey Okai Basic School where some of the Ambassadors such as Berla Mundi, Okyeame Kwame, and other CTVET staff had ample time to properly reorient the students on vocational schools.

The students on the other hand, asked questions in order to fully leverage on the opportunity to appreciate the benefits of choosing vocational schools during the selection process.

Speaking to “Inside Report Newspaper”, the Assistant Manager, Corporate Affairs at CTVET Eunice Mensah explained that their major target is to ensure they erase the erroneous perception that both students and parents, and Ghanaians in entirety, have about technical and vocational schools.

” The priority of the Commission is to ensure we change the negative perceptions people have about vocational schools. The perception is that its only students who are not academically good that would prefer to choose technical and vocational schools, which is totally wrong.

That’s why we have appointed these Ambassadors in order for them to go to various schools and sensitize the students on the benefits of selecting such schools and choosing TVET courses. We are delighted the students have begun to understand it based on our interactions with them,” she said.

Kwame Nsiah-Apau, known by his stage name Okyeame Kwame who is one of the Ambassadors admonished parents to accept the choice of their children and support them to pursue it.

“Education is not only about reading and writing, it’s about the skills we have acquired. It’s high time we all help in developing the country, and we can do that through the acquisition of these technical skills. I would plead with parents to accept and support the choices of their children.

Don’t force your child to pursue a course of your choice, let the child do that on his own,” he said.

Establishment of CTVET;

The Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training was established by the Education Regulatory Bodies Act (ERBA) 1023 of 2020. The main mandate is to To regulate, promote and administer technical and vocational education and training for transformation and innovation for sustainable development.

The function was to among other things, formulate national policies for skills development across the broad spectrum of pre-tertiary and tertiary education, formal, informal and alternative education and as well co-ordinate, harmonize and supervise the activities of technical and vocational education and training institutions to meet the requirements of both the formal and informal sectors.

Source: modernghana.com

April302021

Core Maths, Integrated Science to be excluded as core subjects for some courses – Dr. Adutwum

AdministratorNews

Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has said Integrated Science and Core Mathematics would soon be excluded as core subjects for students pursuing Science and other courses in Senior High Schools (SHS).

The Minister says the composition of Integrated Science and Core Maths are being studied in detail by some students due to their elective courses and does not see the need to still make it a prerequisite in gaining admission into further fields of study.

In an interview on Angel FM’s Anɔpa Bɔfoɔ, the Minister said the Ministry is in talks with the various tertiary institutions to amend their general requirements for gaining admission into their schools.

In the status quo, there are four core subjects — English, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies where one is required to pass at least three of them depending on the programme one wants to study, before gaining admission into a tertiary institution.

But during the One-on-One this morning, Dr. Adutwum told host, Captain Smart, that “indeed you’re an education consultant because there is no need to allow a science student who is doing Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Elective Mathematics still do Core Mathematics and Integrated Science because they’re studying it in detail in their course already.”

“We can let the child study the Core Maths and Integrated Science for one year to get the basics and allow them to continue with their respective electives. Here, we can allow the student to study robotics and other things outside their main course which will broaden their knowledge in other fields and when they get to SHS, they will know what they want to pursue,” he told Captain Smart when he asked him the essence of duplicating subjects in the educational system.

Meanwhile, Dr. Adutwum revealed government is currently constructing Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM-centred) schools which will have 12 Science laboratories each.

He said it is important that labs are made available in each school to foster practical education for the students to better understand what they’re being taught.

The Education Minister said the panacea to curbing the laboratory deficit in the Ghanaian educational spectrum is “virtual laboratory”.

“Each school will have 12 science labs because there must be labs in all the schools for chemistry, physics, biology and others. Here, we read without labs but if you do lab and read, you understand better. If you don’t go to lab in first year, they will become difficult for you,” he indicated.

He said the virtual lab which is called leap frogging is the surest way to compete and keep pace with other countries who are “100 years ahead of us” on the educational ladder.

Source: angelonline.com.gh

March292021

Gov’t to establish skills training agency

AdministratorNews

The government is set to create an agency for skills training known as the Technical and Vocational Education Services (TVES) as part of efforts to revamp the mainstream technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

The Director-General of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, who disclosed this in Accra, said the agency to be created mid-year was to help build a robust education system with dedicated attention to TVET.

“We are pursuing several initiatives, including the MyTVET campaign, to address and reverse the negative connotations that TVET has suffered in this country,” he said.

Dr Asamoah was speaking during a validation workshop organised by the CTVET at the British Council in Accra last Wednesday.

The event afforded key stakeholders the opportunity to validate the implementation manual for the operationalisation of the National Apprenticeship Policy.

Validation workshop

Dr Asamoah said the policy was to help harmonise apprenticeship practice in the country and also create a generation of skilled people.

He said it was time to change the theory-based curriculum in the education system and focus more on apprenticeship.

No more errands

He said the days where apprentices ran errands when they should be undergoing training should be a thing of the past.

“The days of apprentices being asked to run errands by mastercraft persons should be a thing of the past.

“If we want to develop our economy and ensure there are jobs for the youth, then we all must join hands in making apprenticeship much more attractive now,” he said.

Dr Asamoah said it was the aim of the government to help produce world-class apprentices who could attract the attention of employers from every part of the world, saying that “good apprenticeship attracts good pay”.

The Country Director of the British Council, Mr Alan Rutt, expressed the commitment of the council to support apprenticeship in the country, expressing the confidence that through the policy, apprenticeship would be promoted in the country.

He commended parents who were educating their children in TVET encouraging other parents to do same.

Industry and academia

A consultant for the development of the policy and the implementation manual, Dr Charles Amoatey, said the policy when implemented would help bridge the gap between industry and academia.

He called on the public to value, support and invest in TVET, expressing the hope that significant funding would be provided to improve TVET in the country.

A National Apprenticeship Expert, Mrs Gladys Quarshie, reiterating the importance of the policy, said it would help increase skills transfer and support work-based learning.

Source: www.graphic.com.gh

March292021

First Lady donates working tools to artisans

AdministratorNews

First Lady of the Republic, Mrs. Rebecca Naa Okaikor Akufo-Addo has presented working tools to some selected artisans, at her Ridge Office in Accra.

The working tools will assist the artisans enhance their service delivery in their respective technical and vocational endeavours to improve their economic well-being.

The tools which include sewing machines and other dressmaking equipment and hairdressing tools were presented to the beneficiaries by the Director of Operations to the First Lady, Mrs. Akosua Newman.

In a brief statement, Mrs. Newman said as principal Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) Ambassador, Mrs. Akufo-Addo recognises that apart from the fact that technical and vocational expertise is the heart of every nation’s development, it has also, always served as a conduit for many to unearth and develop their God-given skills, which they subsequently applied, to make a living.

She said the First Lady is working hard with her colleague TVET Ambassadors to change the negative perception about TVET and to help increase enrolment in Technical and Vocational Institutions in order to inspire world-class excellence in skills development and introduce the youth to a variety of skilled careers.

It will be recalled that in September, 2020, Mrs. Akufo-Addo together with some media personalities and entrepreneurs including Kwame Sefa Kayi, Ms Belinda Addardey, popularly known as Bella Mundi, Okyeame Kwame and Daniel McKorley, founder and Chief Executive Officer of McDan Group of Companies., among others were appointed TVET ambassadors to execute activities which will make TVET attractive to the youth.

Beneficiaries of the donation made up of tailors, dressmakers and hairdressers, expressed their profound gratitude to the First Lady for her donation stating that her assistance put them on the right keel to enhance their service delivery and product quality to compete with similar imported products and services, thereby securing their incomes.

Source: www.gbcghanaonline.com

March252021

British Council, CTVET hold workshop on implementation of National Apprenticeship Policy

AdministratorNews

The British Council, in collaboration with Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training (CTVET), Wednesday, March 24, 2021, held a workshop on the implementation of Ghana’s first National Apprenticeship Policy.

The over five hours workshop, which took place at the British Council office in Accra, saw key people analyse the draft policy ahead of its implementation by the government.

The policy will coordinate Ghana’s apprenticeship sector, bringing together several separate schemes under one common standard. This will make it easier for apprentices to access skills training in areas ranging from carpentry to dressmaking.

Apprentices will have more opportunities to gain certifications to show evidence of their skills too.

Ag. Director-General of CTVET, Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, in his keynote address, said that the apprenticeship policy, which has enormous benefits, should have been in place long ago, however, it is better late than never.

According to Dr Asamoah, the government aims to produce world-class apprentices who can attract the attention of employers from every part of the world.

He added that “Beyond the benefits the country is expected to derive from this national apprenticeship policy, businesses will also benefit immensely if they are guided by the policy. If businesses adopt apprenticeship training as one way of developing their workforce, it can help to develop highly skilled employees.

“Apprenticeship programs also reduce turnover rates, increase productivity and lower the cost of recruitment. The apprenticeship will also ensure that businesses have customized training that meets industry standards, tailored to the specific needs of businesses.”

Meanwhile, Country Director of British Council, Alan Rutt hailed Ghana for the policy, having witnessed the successful running of something similar in his country.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com

March112021

Ghana targets a 40 percent increase in enrollment in Tertiary Education by 2030

AdministratorNews

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says his administration is targeting a 40 percent increase in enrollment of students into Tertiary Education.

He said 64 years after independence, the country still did not have the critical mass of tertiary education graduates that was required for its socio-economic transformation.

There was, therefore, the need to introduce measures to increase consciously the proportion of the population with relevant tertiary education to accelerate the transformation of the country.

The President said this during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Tuesday.

He said focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related fields, with emphasis on engineering, could increase the enrollment ratio from the current 18.8 percent to 40 percent by 2030.

President Akufo-Addo said it would be achieved by significantly increasing enrollment in existing public and private universities and through the establishment of an “Open University” and that government expected increase record numbers of enrollment over the next four years.

He said the government would fulfill its campaign manifesto promise by removing the guarantor requirement that made it difficult for most students to apply for loans through the Student Loan Trust Fund programme.

The President said improving the quality of education and ensuring that students were globally competitive was to maintain the integrity of Ghana’s examinations and assessment system.

“A key objective of our effort to improve quality education and ensure that our students become globally competitive is to maintain the integrity of our examinations and assessment,” he said.

He added that Government, working through the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), would introduce new measures to curb examination leakages and malpractices in the country’s educational system.

The President acknowledged that the teacher was at the centre of every reform in the field of education and that prioritising the welfare of teachers remained a key objective of the government.

He added that after the restoration of teacher training allowances, the Government was now paying professional allowances to both teaching and non-teaching staff.

President Akufo-Addo said Government was facilitating the acquisition of two hundred and eighty thousand laptops for members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), and the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) this year.

He said moving forward, the Minister for Education would detail an action plan for the implementation of the National Teacher Policy.

The President said as part of his commitment to the advancement of STEM education, Government would continue with the development of 20 STEM centres and eight model Science Senior High schools across the country.

He said the institutions would be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories, which would facilitate teaching and learning in all areas, including artificial intelligence and robotics.

The President commended the Parliament of Ghana for passing the Education Regulatory Bodies’ Act, 2020 (Act 1023), adding, “The passage of this Act has established the Commission for Technical Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) and the TVET Service.”

He said the Act would help to streamline the delivery of TVET and avoid overlaps and duplication.

He said the government was also building 32 TVET institutions across the country to augment existing infrastructure for effective TVET delivery.

President Akufo-Addo stated that in line with his commitment to addressing the issue of youth unemployment through TVET, Government would commence the implementation of the Ghana Jobs and Skills project this year.

He said the project sought to expedite the development of competency-based training curricula on the National TVET Qualification Framework for 100 trades/professions from level one (National Proficiency 1) to level five (Higher National Diploma) as well as training some 25,000 beneficiaries and provide entrepreneurial support to about 50,000 individuals.

The President added that the project would also implement the Ghana Labour Market Information System and upgrade district public employment centres and services.

source: www.newsghana.com.gh

March112021

TVET: Solution to youth unemployment

AdministratorNews

The current Free Senior High School (Free SHS) confirms the belief that the development of the individual, and for that matter the nation, rests squarely on a highly literate society.

Therefore, any form of education deserves critical attention.

However, investment and injection of funding have gone into grammar education to the neglect of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Nevertheless, TVET has large constituents requiring attention to develop it.

It has the potential to transform the economy, and offer employment for the teeming unemployed youth.

The Ministries of Education, Employment and Labour Relations, Youth and Sports and Food and Agriculture are the key government institutions with the responsibility of growing that segment of education.

There are other ministries that support TVET as well, and they are the Trade and Industry, Gender and Social Protection, Transport, Lands and Natural Resources.

To revamp and restructure TVET, to ensure quality standards, there is the need for the sector to be placed under a single entity, Technical and Vocational Education Service, to bring about the necessary transformation.

Rationale

The restructuring and realisation of the needed investment for TVET is dependent on a single umbrella institution regulating programmes and activities.

As stated above, a Technical and Vocational Education Service (TVES) will do away with the poor linkage between institutions and industry, while coordinate among multiple TVET delivering agencies.

The multiplicity of standards, testing and certification systems that exist now are not bringing about the desired quality, creating a discord between what human resource the industry wants and what the training institutions are offering their students. Hence, the streamlining of the sector.

Despite the above, TVET requires three types of qualifications, technical and teaching qualifications and industry experience.

Therefore, an organised body will ensure such qualifications are acquired by any person who desires to venture into this part of education, either in a training or teaching capacity.

Again, Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) Act 2006, Act 718 enacted to enable TVET education, unfortunately, has resulted in the uncoordinated training and fragmented standards under different ministries, with conflicting laws and legislative instruments not making COTVET as effective and efficient as expected.

Therefore, this requires reorganisation for the proper regulation of TVET in Ghana.

Reform

The current dispensation aims at the alignment of TVET to be supervised by the Ministry of Education (MoE).

The arrangement would promote effective and efficient management, coordination and cohesion of training institutions, thereby sanitising the whole TVET landscape.

TVET is identified as an enabler and an economic game-changer in Ghana’s quest for development.

Hence, it is incumbent for the government to organise TVET in a well-regulated environment to raise standards.

The reorganisation and realignment will improve productivity competencies and competitiveness of graduates on the job market.

Outcome

The reform undertaken by the MoE will not only improve the fortunes of TVET but bring about proper regulation, effective management, coordination and cohesion in training institutions for a better overall output of the trainers and trainees.

In the scheme of such alignment, under a particular and an identifiable entity, investment to improve on the obsolete and sub-standard tools will receive the consideration it deserves.

Over 400 non-tertiary TVET institutions, under different agencies and ministries, 180 private institutions and a large informal sector apprenticeship system, of which over 400,000 people are estimated to be operating, requires nothing but a regulated environment.

It will lead to targeted, demand-driven and research-oriented TVET in the country.

source: www.graphic.com.gh

March112021

Jobs and skills project to be implemented this year – Akufo-Addo

AdministratorNews

In line with his government’s commitment to addressing the issue of youth unemployment through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that his government will commence the implementation of the Ghana Jobs and Skills project this year.

This project seeks to expedite the development of competency-based training curricula on the National TVET Qualification Framework for 100 trades/professions from level one (1) (National Proficiency 1) to level five (5) (Higher National Diploma) as well as training some 25,000 beneficiaries and provide entrepreneurial support to about 50,000 individuals.

“It will also seek to implement the Ghana Labour Market Information System, and upgrade of district public employment centres and services,” Nana Akufo-Addo stated.

The President said this in his first State of the Nation Address (SoNA) delivered before Parliament on Tuesday, 9 March 2021.

He further revealed that they are also building 32 TVET institutions across the country to augment existing infrastructure for effective TVET delivery.

He added that as part of his commitment to the advancement of Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the government will continue with the development of 20 STEM centres and eight model Science Senior High schools across the country.

These institutions according to Nana Akufo-Addo will be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories, which will facilitate teaching and learning in all areas, including artificial intelligence and robotics.

In the President’s view, to improve quality education and ensure that Ghanaian students become globally competitive is to maintain the integrity of examinations and assessment. In connection with this, he said his government, working through the West African Examination Council (WAEC), will introduce new measures to curb examination leakages and malpractices.

Touching on teachers, Nana Akufo-Addo acknowledged that the teacher is at the centre of every reform in the field of education.

He said: “Prioritising the welfare of teachers remains a key objective of Government. After the restoration of teacher training allowances, Government is now paying professional allowances to both teaching and non-teaching staff. I am happy to announce that Government is facilitating the acquisition of two hundred and eighty thousand laptops for members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concern Teachers (CCT) this year. Moving forward, the Minister for Education will soon detail an action plan for the implementation of the National Teacher Policy.”

The President continued that government has also introduced several interventions at the high school level which include the GHS198 million academic intervention support programme dedicated for extra classes for students in SHS, implementation of free internet connectivity for secondary schools, full absorption of BECE registration fee for all for students in public junior high school from 2017 till date, and full absorption of WASSCE registration fees for students, which started last year.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

February192021

Government focused on creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive

AdministratorNews

Director of Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET), Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, has reiterated Government’s commitment to the creation of an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

Mr Asamoah was speaking on Thursday during the launch of the Precision Quality Training Programme (PQ) to equip artisans with the requisite knowledge and skills to meet globally accepted industry standards.

The event was organised by The Design and Technology Institute (DTI), a technical/vocational training institution with focus on young people.

The Programme forms part of DTI’s partnership agreement with the MasterCard Foundation and will create 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for young people within the next three years.

Mr Asamoah said Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) was the solution to Ghana’s unemployment situation and the country’s youth unemployment challenge required an all-round deliberate and consistent response to ensure quality and precision.

He said attention should not only be given to youth unemployment but also develop the human capital in areas such as interpersonal skills, presentation skills, communication skills, leadership skills, analytical skills, basic computer skills and critical thinking skills.

He said over the past few years, Government had made tremendous strides at improving the TVET sector, notable amongst them being the development and approval for implementation of a five-year strategic plan which had five policy objectives and seventeen strategies.

Mr Asamoah said Government had passed the Education Regulatory Policy Act which also established the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Regulation through the merging of COTVET and the National Board for Professional Technicians Examinations (NABPTEX).

“We passed the Pre-tertiary Education B into law to establish a Technical and Vocational Education and Training Service that would specifically look at TVET delivery in the Pre-tertiary sector. Government has also developed a National Apprenticeship Policy that would train people in the industry where everybody benefits and quality is also assured,” he added.

Director of Institute, DTI, Mr Titi Ofei, said education was a powerful tool by which both adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and participate fully as citizens of a nation.

He said the rapid changes occurring in the global economy had led to the introduction of new technologies and the demand for more highly skilled workers.

As such, Ghana’s education system must be modified to meet the needs and challenges of today, adding that, the skills of yesterday may not be able to fix the problems of tomorrow.

He said all over the world, TVET was the vehicle being used to develop skills and train the workforce.

However, he said in Ghana, more provisions had been made to support academic institutions as opposed to technical/vocational institutions and “this must change”.

In Ghana there are 900 academic institutions as compared to only 45 public technical institutions and TVET have been historically positioned as a second-class type of education. Many parents look forward to sending their children to academic institutions and do not give thought to technical institutions,” he said.

Mr Ofei said apart from parental resistance towards the patronage of TVET schools, the youth also had no interest in it because the general idea that had been created amongst peer groups was that students of tertiary institutions were academic failures or blockheaded.

President of Artisans Association of Ghana, Mr Gideon Bidor, said artisan skills such as kente weaving, beads making, basket making, blacksmith, goldsmith, plumbing, should be added to the educational curriculum right from basic school so that children would grow up appreciating technical education.

He said to achieve PQ attitudinal change was required, in that, industry players must endeavour to carry out their duties in a professional manner with or without supervision.

“Let us encourage those in this field to do it more and not look down on them because they are not formally educated and cannot speak the Queen’s language. One major problem we face is discrimination.

“Artisans are underpaid for their services even though their work is very tedious. This causes great discouragement and as such a person may decide to look for another work and discourage any of his children from venturing into this field,” he said.

Source: www.myjoyonline.com

News

Asantehene reiterates need for more investments in TVET education

Promotion Of Technical Education: Tvet Ambassadors Visit Schools In Accra

Core Maths, Integrated Science to be excluded as core subjects for some courses – Dr. Adutwum

Gov’t to establish skills training agency

First Lady donates working tools to artisans

British Council, CTVET hold workshop on implementation of National Apprenticeship Policy

Ghana targets a 40 percent increase in enrollment in Tertiary Education by 2030

TVET: Solution to youth unemployment

Jobs and skills project to be implemented this year – Akufo-Addo

Government focused on creating enabling environment for businesses to thrive

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