The Director-General of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, says one of the surest ways by which all stakeholders could tackle skills mismatch challenges between what is needed in industry and what is being supplied by the training institutions is through the establishment of the sector skills bodies.
He said the establishment of the sector skills bodies had been identified as an essential vehicle that could bring together all relevant stakeholders to explore and address the present and future workforce needs of industry.
Asamoah, who was speaking during an industry engagement in Accra was emphatic that, “it is paramount for industry to be at the centre of skills development to provide the right environment for the creation of employment opportunities”.
He announced this when he led some staff and management of the CTVET and a team from the sector skills bodies for construction and automotive to have direct engagements with some industry players in Accra in order to accelerate the process of making TVET in Ghana industry-led.
The visit took the team from the sector skills bodies for construction and automotive and the CTVET team to the Anointed Electrical Engineering Services, Lake Side Estates, and the University of Ghana Toyota Training Centre in Accra.
Interacting with the management and staff of the institutions, Dr Asamoah indicated that as part of the mandate of the commission, it facilitated collaboration between training institutions and industry to promote industry-led and demand-driven curriculum development and placement.
Dr Asamoah said the commission also promoted workplace experience learning and the recognition of prior learning hence, the need for such visits.
He stated that they were undertaking the visits to familiarise themselves with the work of the institutions with the aim of exploring possible avenues for collaboration and synergies, especially in the light of the ongoing implementation of the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF), which was being implemented by the commission.
Dr Asamoah said the industry played a critical role in the skills development of any country and that was why, as part of the strategic plan for TVET, the Commission had established sector skills bodies.
He said the Commission had set aside the month of August as the industry engagement month and would continue with those engagements throughout the country.