From right: Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah interacting with a participant
THE DESIGN and Technology Institute (DTI) in collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has held a day’s conference on development of a national policy for precision quality (PQ) in Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) in Ghana.
Held under the theme: ‘Unlocking The Skills and Competencies of Young People for Quality Jobs in Ghana and the Globalized Market’, the conference sought to proffer strategic ideas on how to improve upon training and overall output of artisans, students, apprentices, workshop owners within the technical and vocational sectors of the economy.
The conference held in Accra on Wednesday brought together key stakeholders including the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), Commission for Technical and Vocational Training (CTVET), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) to provide insights into a national policy to promote precision quality as a key component of the TVET education in Ghana.
The conference also saw stakeholders share ideas on the role precision quality played in their respective fields and how a national policy would stimulate youth employment in various fields.
In her remarks, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DTI, Constance Elizabeth Swaniker intimated that a national precision quality policy will create thousands of sustainable jobs and work opportunities for young Ghanaians while integrating the CTVET accredited precision quality curriculum into the learning outcomes of senior high schools (SHS), technical universities and workshops of master craft persons ensuring standardization across board.
“A national policy on precision quality will also ensure that students and apprentices are assessed by PQ experts for certification after completion of course modules to provide the basis for hiring and providing salaries and benefits as well as promotions and career progression”.
“The policy will create a system that empowers the public to demand quality goods and services from artisans and other industry players to drive compliance and quality of service”, she stated.
Director General of the NDPC, Kodjo Mensah-Abrampa also noted that the skill development constraints identified are the limited number of skilled industrial personnel and the mismatch to industrial needs
“Our proposal for the medium term would be to ensure improved skills development for industry by transforming the apprenticeship training model from a supply-driven approach to a market-demand model. These would consolidate our gains in skills training and position our youth for the future of work”, he said.
For his part, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah stressed that the world of work is changing and therefore there was the need for Ghana as a nation to prepare for and adapt to the future.
He disclosed that government will partner the NDPC to formulate a progressive strategy for the future of work so that work continues to be available and accessible for the teeming youth in Ghana.
“There should be emphasis on the TVET space. Whether we like or not, the nature of work will change with time, but TVET will continue to be relevant. So if we want to prepare our population for work for the future as a nation, then one of the areas we should be looking at is TVET”, he admonished.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio