Technical workforce critical for national economy – Educationist
Mr Cephas Adjei-Mensah, Assistant Director at the Ministry of Education, has observed that the quality and size of the technical and vocational workforce of every nation is critical to the proper functioning of the economy.
He said it was for this reason that governments the world over are driving a new vision to promote Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a way of facilitating skills development and bringing those expertise at the forefront of the development agenda.
Mr Mensah made the observation at a training programme organised by the Department of Education, Culture, Science and Technology of the ECOWAS Commission for 30 participants at the Tema Technical Institute in Tema.
At the end of the course, the participants, made up of technical teachers, curriculum experts, policy makers in charge of TVET, inspectors and advisors, would be expected to demonstrate the capacity to implement innovative TVET reform.
They would also be equipped with knowledge and skills to boost their interaction with stakeholders in the employment sector.
Mr Mensah said the TVET Policy Framework of Ghana 2004 recommended Competency-Based Training (CBT) as a model of delivery of all TVET programmes.
He noted that the availability of curriculum development experts, skilled instructors and competent teachers with workplace experience, was central to the acquisition of employable skills by all categories of learners.
The Assistant Director pointed out that one possible strategy to improve the practical skills and retain the services of qualified teachers was to arrange periodic upgrading of courses and enterprise-based internships for them.
Mr Mensah said since the critical role of teachers in revitalising TVET could not be over-emphasised, it required the institutionalisation of training-of-trainers and continuous development programmes for technical teachers within national TVET systems.
Mr Joshua Mallet, ECOWAS International Resource Person, said ECOWAS is organising the programme in all 15 member-states to ensure effective delivery of TVET in the sub-region.
He advised the participants to take the course seriously, in order to become part of a network of TVET practitioners’ and follow-up activities in support of the ECOWAS Plan of Action for TVET.
Mr Stephen Turkson, CBT TVET Expert, underscored the need for the use of appropriate technology in order to make technology in education workable.
Source: GNA