Government to build 20 new technical schools

The government has announced plans to build 20 new technical and vocational schools to provide employable skills training to the youth.

Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, acting Executive Director of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), said these institutions would be adequately equipped and resourced to enhance the quality of training.

He was addressing the 33rd annual conference of Principals of Technical Institutions (APTI) at Akwatia.

He indicated that a skills development fund was also going to be set up to aid skills acquisition and development.

He said the goal was to assist provide industry with the requisite manpower to optimally perform.

Investing in human capital required that “we develop a globally competitive workforce that would support the socio-economic development of the country”, he added.

“We need to ensure that technical and vocational education training institutions are well equipped with state-of-the-art tools and equipment, the right learning environment, well-trained and motivated facilitators or instructors and well-developed curriculum that meets industry standards.”

Dr. Asamoah said currently a comprehensive skill gap analysis and auditing was being conducted to help identify the relevant skills required by industry and support job creation.

This, he said was meant to reduce the current supply driven approach where people were trained without reference to the skills on demand by the labor market.

He added that a detailed profiling and needs assessment of all TVET institutions would be conducted to know their current state and what was required, for them to deliver.

Mr. Albert Adusei, acting President of APTI, underlined the need to put premium on technical education and said that was important to speed up industrial development.

Ghana, he said must learn from the example of countries like China, Germany and the United States (US).

Osabarima Kofi Boateng III, the Akwatiahene, called for upgrading of the Akwatia Technical Institute into a polytechnic.