Professor Domwini Dabire Kuupole, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, has said government and partners must work in unison to re-tool and fund technical universities to achieve the Comprehensive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
He said that was the only way to make the institutions relevant to the demands of the 21st Century.
Prof. Kuupole, also a Fellow, Association Des Palmes Academiques, France, said this in Ho during the 2019 Ho Technical University (HTU) Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series on Wednesday.
It was on the theme: "Implications of the Triple Helix Model for Technical Universities: Fulfilling the University's Third Mission."
He said government was mandated to prioritise investment in human capital development in technical-related disciplines to make the institutions fit-for-purpose.
Skilled human capital and a strong research-base were not only key elements of a country's economic growth strategy but also determined its capacity to attain the Sustainable Development Goals in earnest, Prof. Kuupole said.
"The point that must not be missed is that adequate training of faculty in pedagogical skills is critical to upgrading teaching and educational standards in Technical Univerities," he said.
"Indeed, the concept of Triple Helix Model Theory supports learning by doing, learning by using, and learning by interaction to increase the efficiency of production."
Prof. Kuupole said class activities should incorporate individual and group presentations, problem-solving, simulations, portfolios and projects into learning activities.
That, he said, coupled with practical scenarios and society-oriented case studies, would help amplify the possibilities of transfer of learning and knowledge to deliver on the TVET agenda.
Prof. Kuupole said the quality technical university education should include innovative pedagogies that increased the prospects of transfer of learning from the university to the larger society.
The Triple Helix concept should spur the universities to play active parts in patenting and licensing research output, he said, adding that technology transfer offices should be established to foster transformation of basic or applied research with commercial value into products.
He called for the establishment of entrepreneurial incubators to feed industries, which could result in major spillovers, start-ups, spin-offs and clusters.
These could assist industries to observe talented workforce from campuses as an answer to the Triple Helix Model Theory to solve societal problems.
Prof Ben Q. Honyenugah, Vice-Chancellor of the HTU, said the bedrock of any nation's development hinged on advancement of applied sciences and technology and that technical universities, if well-positioned and resourced, would set the agenda to solving societal problems.