This, he said, would make them vibrant to attract the needed attention and support from industry rather than depending on government.

“Government cannot do everything, the challenges are there, but if we engage industries as partners they can support in training by bringing in experts to give the skills and standards needed for industry,” he said.

Dr Turkson was speaking at the first Annual Developing Industry Standards Conference in Takoradi, organised by the Western Region Coastal Foundation (WRCF), in collaboration with the National Board for Professional and Technical Examinations (NABPTEX).

The two-day conference, attended by more than 150 participants from industry, academia, government institutions and the private sector across the country, was on the theme: “Developing Skills and Standards for Industry”.

It sought to address the skills and capacity gaps in the extractive and manufacturing industries and devise a framework for the introduction of programmes to build capacity in training institutions to manage the employment needs of the extractive and allied industries.

During a panel discussion on “Industry standards and skills development,” Dr Turkson said an engagement between technical institutions and industry to develop the skills needed for the job market was critical at that stage of industrial evolution.

“Let us see education and training as collaboration and as partnership drive if we want investors to come into the country. We need to get a pool of TVET that will support in this direction,” he said.

Dr Turkson said TVET was not for failures, non-achievers, and school dropouts among others but rather for people with active brains and intuitive skills to innovate.  A World Bank study had showed that 80 per cent of worldwide activities is in TVET.

“So, if we focus on the 20 per cent, you are creating unemployment, but if you focus on the 80 per cent it will go a long way to create employment opportunities,” he said. Dr Turkson said if TVET was well funded, it would drive the economy, create more jobs and boost development.  He noted that in TVET training, if the learners are trained very well, they can become innovators and deliver what the industry want. Also, they can create their own jobs and not depend on the Government to employ them.

Professor Mahama Duwiejua, the Former Executive Secretary of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE), said TVET was necessary in the socio-economic development of the country as it provided the skills for national development.

“TVET has a mandate and must be supported accordingly to be able to provide the needed skills. NABTEX needs to be strengthened to be able to meet standards in the industry,” he said.

He urged institutions to get closer to the industries to know the current trends and standards that are globally accepted.  Mr Matthew Armah, the Chief Executive Officer of WRCF, said: “Our focus is to use dialogue to improve the relevance of training to industry and identify improvements to bridge the gap between the supply of skills and demand for skilled workers.”

“Therefore, WRCF hopes that this conference gives stakeholders the opportunity to broaden discussions and provide input that help to shape policy to tackle the core issues.”  He expresses excitement at the diverse groups of people who participated, which has made discussions spirited and thought-provoking.    

This, he said, had led to some compelling recommendations to drafting a roadmap towards the implementation of industry standards.