The Design and Technology Institute (DTI), the country’s leading private TVET institution, has in partnership with the Kumasi Technical Institute (KTI), officially launched a precision quality collaboration.
The public-private partnership is aimed at transforming technical and vocational education training (TVET) in the country.
As part of this effort, DTI has upgraded and retooled selected departments, specifically carpentry, upholstery, fashion and design and welding and fabrication within KTI and is working collaboratively with KTI faculty to embed precision quality training in all courses.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Founder and President, DTI, Constance Swaniker, said the improvement of KTI’s facilities would facilitate the integration of the Precision Quality curriculum and ethos into KTI’s academic environment, contributing to Ghana’s broader youth employability agenda.
She said “these improvements will expand access for KTI students, DTI Precision Quality interns, learners from other institutions, and unemployed youth in especially the surrounding communities.”
She charged the students to consider venturing into entrepreneurship after completing school, as it was the surest way to reduce youth unemployment in the country, saying “there is no way that you will complete KTI and you will not want to put to good use the hands-on skills you have acquired.”
Additionally, she implored them to go into apprenticeship while in school and anytime they were on vacation, as it would enable them to build self confidence and improve upon their skills set needed to excel in their respective trades.
The Principal, KTI, Gabriel Kingsford Osei, said the collaboration was a bold step following a shared vision between both institutions to transform TVET education towards national development.
He said “this is a strategic alignment of vision, values and action designed to embed precision quality into every aspect in the institutions’ training” and said precision quality was not merely a concept but a commitment to doing things right the first time and at all times.
“Through this partnership, we are going to develop together a competency-based curricula to integrate into KTI’s formal training curricula” he said and further indicated that the move would empower learners not only with technical expertise but with the confidence, communication and creativity to thrive in any environment.