This is in recognition of the fact that the development of skills that meet a changing labour market across a lifetime is crucial for inclusive and sustainable growth, productivity and innovation.

“TVET, Digitalisation and Greening our environment are driving deep changes in the world today,” the Director-General for the Commission of TVET, Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, said.

Speaking on the topic, “Transforming Ghana’s economy through a robust TVET system,” he said economies could only benefit if learners developed the right skills (both hard and soft) and competencies in those areas as well.

Dr Asamoah explained that it was with that background that, “President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government set out as part of the first five-year strategic plan (2018 to 2022) to transform TVET and establish strong links between industry and TVET providers/academia”.

He explained that the five-year strategic plan for TVET, which was approved by Cabinet in December 2017 had five key policy objectives, including governance and management, equitable access and promotion of gender mainstreaming, quality assurance in TVET based on internationally accepted standards, sustainable source of funding for TVET and greening TVET for environmental sustainability.

Successes

Dr Asamoah said there had been successes with the five years under review, adding that the government was able to establish the Commission for TVET (CTVET) as a regulator and promoter for the sector and also, a TVET Service (TVETS) responsible for pre-tertiary TVET delivery.

“The government is establishing sector skills bodies in 22 identified economic sectors and so far, 12 of these sector skills bodies have already been established and inaugurated,” he added.

Throwing more light on the state of the TVET sector before 2017, he said the five-year strategic plan realised that 75 per cent of the curricula used in TVET then were outdated and that had to be revised to be in sync with the direction of the President.

Next strategic plan

On the next strategic plan, which takes off this year, Dr Asamoah said the government was looking forward to developing a TVET policy.

“We would be looking at the digitalisation of the TVET system, as well as the licensing and professionalisation of TVET graduates.

“We are working at creating a sustainable TVET financing mechanism with the enhancement of the Ghana skills development fund,” he explained.

Dr Asamoah said as part of the regulatory mandate of the CTVET, monitoring mechanisms would also be institutionalised with tracer studies in the TVET institutions, especially in the technical universities, adding, “We are working towards bridging innovation and learning in TVET”.

On popularising TVET in the country, he commended President Akufo-Addo and the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for their consistent support and projection of TVET and particularly the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the country.

He said TVET education was the sure panacea for the mounting unemployment among the youth in the country and rallied Ghanaians to believe in the sector, adding that the government, through the ministry, was investing in it heavily from the basic through to the tertiary level.