The Annual PQ Conference, an initiative by Design & Technology Institute (DTI) in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, is under the auspices of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, the Na­tional Development Planning Commission (NDPC), and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET).

The conference, which would be on the theme ‘Labour market information systems to galvanise job creation and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders’, aims to highlight the critical role of PQ in providing the skills and mindsets needed to produce and deliver high-quality goods and services.

It will bring together industry players, academia, and other stakeholders to collab­orate on the development of skills and the promotion of PQ while showcasing prac­tical examples of PQ in the public, private, and informal sectors.

The annual PQ conference forms part of a three-year ‘Transforming youth TVET livelihoods for sustainable jobs’, a part­nership between DTI and the Mastercard Foundation under the ‘Young Africa Works project’, which aims to create 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for young people in the country.

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of DTI, Ms Constance Swaniker, expressed excitement over this year’s PQ Conference, saying, “this conference is an important platform to discuss the role of labour market information systems in job creation and economic growth. We believe collaboration among stakeholders in the private and public sectors can create a pros­perous future for all Ghanaians.”

She said the theme was significant in the light of the current economic challenges facing Ghana, adding, “By better under­standing the labour market, we can identify where there are skills shortages and oppor­tunities to create new jobs. This information can help us to develop policies, and plan education and training that support job creation and economic growth.”

Msn Swaniker expressed DTI’s commit­ment to providing high-quality technical and vocational education and training that meet the needs of the labour market.

“We believe that this conference will help us better understand the labour market so as to offer better training programmes that meet the needs of employers,” she added.