Omanghana
Ghana is seeking deeper cooperation with China to strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), with a focus on technology transfer, practical skills development and workplace opportunities for young people.
Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, outlined the priorities at the China Africa Sub-Forum on School–Enterprise Collaboration during a vocational education conference in Tianjin. He represented Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu at the engagement.
Dr. Apaak said closer ties between training institutions and businesses were essential to preparing graduates for employment and entrepreneurship. He stressed that vocational education must respond to employers’ needs and equip learners with abilities they can apply in the workplace.
“TVET institutions cannot develop industry-relevant skills without active private-sector participation,” he said.
Highlighting Ghana’s reforms, the deputy minister said the country had developed 445 Competency-Based Training packages across 89 programs. These are supported by 16 Sector Skills Bodies, which involve employers in curriculum development, occupational standards, assessment and certification.
Ghana’s proposed cooperation with China includes joint curriculum development, exchanges for trainers and learners, industrial attachments and apprenticeships with Chinese enterprises. Access to training equipment, digital learning resources and expertise in quality assurance also forms part of the agenda.
Dr. Apaak highlighted Workplace Experience Learning as a means of connecting classroom instruction with industry practice. Figures presented at the forum indicated that 81.8 per cent of TVET institutions secure workplace placements for learners, while 73 per cent of learners receive feedback from employers and supervisors during placements.
Despite this progress, he acknowledged challenges, including insufficient incentives for employers to host trainees, limited placement opportunities and inadequate industry support for equipment and training materials.
He said future partnerships must be sustainable, mutually beneficial and aligned with Ghana’s development priorities. The broader objective, he explained, is to ensure vocational education produces graduates with the competence to secure productive employment, establish businesses and contribute to industrial development.
Source: Omanghana
