The country's Technical, Vocational Education And Training (TVET) system cannot meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) due to challenges, including inadequate funding, poor digital infrastructure, outdated equipment, facilities and curriculum. 

There are also limited practical training and apprenticeship opportunities, especially in the informal sector, among others.

These are contained in the highlights of research on TVET for Economic Transformation in Ghana Study conducted by the African Education Watch (Eduwatch), in partnership with the African Centre for Economic Transformation (ACET).

It was to gauge the readiness of the country to remain relevant in the 4IR.

The Executive Director of Eduwatch, Kofi Asare, who presented highlights of the study at a validation workshop in Accra last Wednesday, therefore, appealed to the government to increase the TVET funding of the education budget to at least five per cent from the average of three per cent, which pertained from 2017 to 2022.

"The issue of funding affected all the other challenges. In the study, we also found out that there is a national TVET policy, which is outdated and a new draft awaiting approval and that there was also low participation of the private sector in the TVET system," he said.

Other notable hindrances, he stated, were a lack of internet access, modern computer labs and digital learning platforms, which hindered the country's TVET system from adapting to the labour market.

The workshop, which was to discuss the findings of the study, brought together major stakeholders from the government, TVET institutions, the private sector and other development partners,  and was to validate the research findings while discussing challenges and proposing actionable recommendations to strengthen the TVET system in Ghana, to meet the demands of the 4IR.

Recommendations

Mr Asare reiterated that a future-ready TVET system in Ghana that adapted to future labour demands and the 4IR was one that major stakeholders had identified adequate funding mechanisms to improve other key features such as modern infrastructure and equipment, digital access and training of qualified teachers.

He also said effective governance, autonomy of institutions, strong accreditation systems, strong partnerships with industry, gender inclusion and green skills integration were necessary for a resilient system.

"Benchmarking Ghana's TVET systems on areas such as adequate funding, accountability in TVET financing, inclusion and gender equality, curriculum and skills development, teacher training and development and tools and equipment could strengthen the system," he said.

Mr Asare stressed the need to strengthen the implementation of the TVET policy with a focus on 4IR and green skills development.

The outcomes of the validation session, Mr Asare noted, were going to be put into a final research report, after which they would lobby for it to be incorporated into the Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan and the National Education Forum Report to promote TVET.

For her part, the Head of Youth Employment and Skills of ACET, Mona Iddrisu, said, among other things, there was a need to prioritise the recommendations.

Population

In her remarks, the Board Member of Eduwatch, Dorothy Konadu, said with the country's rapidly growing youthful population and high unemployment rate, the country was faced with a herculean task of developing skill sets through education to contribute to the industrialisation agenda.

"While there are existing systems for TVET delivery in Ghana such as ongoing reforms and government investments, they have numerous challenges which undermine the transformative potential of TVET to drive economic growth, promote inclusive green skills, and prepare the Ghana youth for the 4IR," she noted.

She explained that the study, which started in March last year, sought to map out the main challenges that hampered the country's TVET system and explore strategies to advance the TVET for the country's development.