TVET aims to transform industries — Education Minister

The Minister of Education, Osei Yaw Adutwum, says the 21st Century Technical and Vocational Educational and Training (TVET) is not to train students to become self-employed but to empower industries with the right kind of manpower to transform the economy.

He was correcting the erroneous impression being created by a section of the public that TVET was all about training people to own their businesses or become entrepreneurs.

But Dr Adutwum said the programme was to train highly skilled individuals and provide a solid financial support system that would allow the private sector to absorb such graduates.

The minister was addressing concerns raised by the TVET Advocacy Group, a body that promotes technical and vocational education as a game changer for Ghana’s economic development.

The 12-member group engaged the minister in Accra last Tuesday to draw his attention to some concerns, which if addressed, could make the programme better.

The concerns captured in a "position paper” to the minister, highlighted gaps in the technical and vocational education system and how those gaps could be addressed.

Among them was to ensure an inclusive TVET system making provision for persons with disabilities and special schools in the new TVET policy directives and reforms.

Also, the group called for concrete measures to build TVET facilitators’ capacities to teach trainees with disabilities.

Jobs

Having taken notice of the concerns raised and providing clarity to them, the minister said another planned meeting between the two would be fixed for Friday with all stakeholders involved to give specific and detailed answers to the questions.

The minister said as part of solving the unemployment challenges and making good use of TVET graduates, every technical school must organise a job fair where industry players would engage students and the competent ones employed.

Indeed, he said it was time to reintroduce the policy where companies recruited students from university campuses even before they completed school.

In that instance, Dr Adutwum said qualified graduates would use the first year in their respective companies as national services and then be retained afterwards.

That, he said, would take off once the Skills Development Fund proposal was fully activated where both the training institutions and the private sector would be supported financially to absorb such graduates.

Under such arrangement, he said the institution would make it mandatory for students to undertake internship programmes in preparation for a full-time job.

Dr Adutwum said those who could not be absorbed by the system would be engaged by some foreign countries including Germany so they do not become waste.

IT

The minister said one essential area which was not being properly harnessed was the Information Technology (IT) sector.

He said areas to be looked at included computer repairs, networking and other auxiliary areas under the IT space to be assessed by both local and international certified assessment bodies.

That way, certificates acquired under the arrangement would be recognised worldwide.

Membership

The members of the group are: Mr Akpeloo Tsonam of the Association of Ghana Industries as president; Madam Joyce Steiner, Christian Council of Ghana as Vice; Mrs Dzine Dzakuma of Dzine Dzakuma Clothings as secretary; Mrs Patricia Boso, TVET expert (Member); Dr Stephen Turkson, TVET consultant (Member) and Della Agbeli, HR expert (Member).

The rest are: Mr Kofi Yeboah, Secretary, Ghana Journalists Association (Member); Mrs Aretha Graham, Methodist Vocational Institute (Member); Sheikh Aremeyaw Ashaibu, National Chief Imam Secretariat (member); Mrs Mariam Kyei, lawyer and social scientist (Member); Madam Rachel O. Kpelle, Department of Community Development (member) and Linda Agyei, VTF Programme (Member).