Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has observed that Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is a critical component of stirring the country's industrialisation agenda for decent employment for citizens.

He said, the Akufo-Addo-led government had invested huge financial resources in skills training, construction of ultra-modern workshops, training infrastructure and equipment for Ghanaian youth to receive training to become competitive on the global job market.

"A Ghana beyond aid could only be possible when the youth are equipped with competitive global skills and introduced to various skilled careers.

"We're in the fourth industrial revolution. It is a world of skills, it is not a world of Degrees.

"We have taken comprehensive approach in revamping and revitalising TVET education in Ghana and no government has ever invested so much in TVET education than the Akufo-Addo-led government since independence," the Vice President emphasised.

Vice President Bawumia made the remarks when he officially opened the 2021 WorldSkills Ghana National Skills Competition and Second Edition of TVET EXPO in Accra.

The event is a platform to provide an opportunity for young people to showcase their professional skills through community projects, skills competitions and knowledge exchange.

It also deepens stakeholder engagements in TVET sector and showcases key government achievements, policies and interventions to improve TVET education.

This year's event is on the theme: "Re-imagining Technical and Vocational Education as a tool for Ghana Beyond Aid", with more than 70 competitors expected to exhibit their skills in 14 different categories.

For sustainable development to take place, the Vice President said, there was an urgent need to pay significant attention to skills training to serve as drivers for economic growth.

It was in that direction that the Akufo-Addo-led government sanitised the TVET sector to ensure effective regulation, administration and promotion of innovation for sustainable development, Dr Bawumia said.

Additionally, government enacted the Education Regulatory Bodies' Act 2020, (Act 1023), which resulted in the merger of the Council for Technical Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) and the National Board for Professional and Technicians Examinations (NAPTES) thus, giving way for the establishment of a Commission for TVET,

Also, there was the passage of an Act for the establishment of Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development as an apex training institution to augment the training of TVET tutors.

Vice President Bawumia noted that Sector Skills Bodies were established to focus on exploring business opportunities, innovation and capacity needs of the TVET sector.

Those entities focused on exploring opportunities in areas including ICT, healthcare, pharmacy and agriculture.

More so, over 65,000 students had also benefited from free TVET education provided under the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy rolled out by the Akufo-Addo-led government, Dr Bawumia said.

He added that 32 new TVET institutes- two per region across the 16 regions pencilled down for construction, which was estimated at a cost of $500 million to increase access to TVET education.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, the Director-General of Commission for TVET, in his welcome remarks, said TVET education was critical in most thriving economies worldwide and it was imperative to equip the Ghanaian youth with employable skills to become competitive on the global market.

He lauded the government's efforts in advancing the cause of TVET education in Ghana towards realising its industrialisation agenda.