Government has reiterated its commitment to vigorously pursue the national apprenticeship programme to enable school drop-outs to acquire employable skills.
Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, who announced this on Thursday, said in line with that, Government would re-tool and adequately equip the National Vocational Institutes as well as to address the challenges facing the Technical/Vocational Training Education (TVET) sector.
He said there was the need to shift focus from informal sector training to support people in the informal sector, who needed entrepreneurial skills, to do something meaningful for their lives.
Mr Sekyere, who was opening a three-day extra-ordinary national delegates conference of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) division of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) in Kumasi, said expanding the informal sector businesses through skill acquisition and job creation, was the surest way to solve the country's unemployment problems.
It was under the theme: "Improving the quality and relevance of vocational training" - the role of the Union". In all 125 delegates were attending the conference.
The Deputy Minister spoke of the need to give prominence to the labour market information system by making sure that reliable record was kept on how demand and supply of skilled labour interacted in the economy.
He said this would enable manpower development training to be tailored towards demands of industry and commerce.
Mr Stephen B. Amponsah, Director of the NVTI, said there had been significant increase in the number of staff pursuing sandwich programmes and instructor training courses.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Congress (TUC), said vocational training had made tremendous contribution to economic competitiveness of countries.
Improving the quality and relevance of vocational training in the country, he noted, required effective policy, which the labour unions' should positively influence.
Mr John Sampah, Divisional Chairman of the NVTI-PSWU, said they would not relent in their efforts to achieve unity and fair treatment for the members.