Government to upscale vocational, technical training
President John Dramani Mahama has stated that the government will restructure the educational system to upscale vocational and technical training in the country.
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That, he said, would produce graduates who could easily find jobs and contribute to the nation's socio-economic development.
He said the current situation where graduates with degrees in the humanities found it difficult to find jobs was unacceptable, hence the determination of the government to reverse the situation.
President Mahama said this yesterday during a courtesy call on him by former German President Horst Köhler.
Mr Köhler, who is in the country to attend a meeting of European and African entrepreneurs, was at the seat of government to hold some discussions with President Mahama.
The discussions centred on Ghana-German relations and the need for the youth to be given the requisite skills for the job market.
Former President Köhler presented a report on the state of the youth prepared by young African and German entrepreneurs and an agenda of the meeting in Accra to President Mahama.
Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010.
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Economy
President Mahama said Ghana's economy was growing at a fast rate of an average of eight per cent yearly.
He said the challenge now was how to translate the growth into jobs.
The President said Ghana's growing job market was looking for middle-level professionals such as engineers and technicians.
Therefore, he said, the government would now "put emphasis on vocational and technical training".
President Mahama said his administration had plans to equip the huge number of people in the informal sector with the relevant skills with the view to graduating them to the formal sector.
"We will provide them with the skills that they need to be able to manage their businesses and employ more youth from the school system," he said.
The President lauded Mr Köhler for his open policy for Africa and support for youth empowerment.
German Leader
In his remarks, former President Köhler said Germany was reviewing its policy on vocational and technical training for developing countries.
He said the aim was to support developing countries to produce youth with the skills needed for the development of their respective countries.
Mr Köhler called for a change of perception about people who underwent vocational and technical training in developing countries, to make such courses edifying for the youth.
For instance, he said, in Germany people with technical skills were respected more than those without skills.
Touching on Ghana, former President Köhler said Germany held Ghana in high regard and saw the country as one of the progressive and stable countries in Africa.
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Consequently, he said, many German entrepreneurs were looking for the opportunity to come and invest in the manufacturing sector in Ghana.
By Musah Yahaya Jafaru