Ashanti Regional Minister Advocates Vocational Education Rebranding


The Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon, says it is time for Ghana to consider rebranding technical and vocational education and training to enhance its appeal to Ghanaians. 

According to Mr. Ackon, economic viability and competitiveness depend on an effective work force and placement of skills development on the country’s development agenda. 

He noted that one of the problems facing technical education is the weak link between education and industry. 

As a result, most technical and vocational education and training graduates fall short of industries’ skills requirement and are unable to secure jobs after completing school. 

There is therefore the need to realign technical and vocational education and training courses to industrial skills requirements in the country. 

Mr. Ackon was opening the 32nd Conference of the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions in Kumasi. 

The conference is on the theme, “Technical And Vocational Education And Training Reforms In The Current Dispensation And The Way Forward”. 

The Regional Minister, Mr. Ackon said technical and vocational education and training is the bedrock for the formation of small and medium enterprises, which if properly supported could successfully help manage the unemployment burden in the country to a large extent. 

He noted that government’s promise of revamping technical and vocational education has achieved remarkable success, yet much needs to be done in that area.  

The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Jacob Kor said reforms in technical and vocational education and training call for a lot of innovation and therefore urged principals of technical institutions to foster strong collaboration in this respect. 

The Executive Director of GRATIS Foundation, Emmanuel Asiedu announced that the agency has received accreditation from the National Accreditation Board to begin an institution of higher learning by January next year. 

To be known as the GRATIS University College of Applied Technology, the university will have campuses in all the 10 regions, with its first campus sited in Koforidua in the Eastern Region. 

The President of the Association of Principals of Technical Institutions, Dr. Joseph Abaiku Apprey recommended the appointment of a Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service for technical and vocational education and training affairs, as it used to be until the 1980s. 

He said the situation where the current disintegration of institutions that offer the same technical and vocational skills programs to exist as independent bodies cannot provide any effective platform for skills development. 

Dr. Apprey said the Association advocates a situation in which all the training institutions under the various ministries can practically come under one umbrella and subscribe to the current technical and vocational education and training certification system.


GBC