Government working towards competency-based technical education

Accra, June 2, GNA - Government with the support of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has started a programme aimed at introducing competency-based training in Technical and Vocational education.

The programme seeks to build the capacity of the Technical and Vocational Institutions to train students to suit the needs of industry. Mr Stephen Turkson, Technical Officer at JICA, said at a workshop for trainers in Technical and Vocational Institutions that government established the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), an umbrella body for all the institutions, to help seal loopholes in the industrial sector.

"We realize that there are gaps between what is taught in the classrooms and what is done on the job." Mr. Turkson said the workshop would address the problems that created gaps in the training and how they were related to the field. The programme would incorporate all technical and vocational institutions including NACVET, NVTI and other technical organizations to have a standard training at various levels and at different categories in industry.

Mr Kenji Kimura, Chief Advisor for the Technical and Vocational Educational Training (TVET), reforms said the workshop, which was the second in a series, would help deepen the understanding of the trainers to enable them to use appropriate methodology in enhancing occupational standards.