The Design and Technology Institute (DTI) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation has launched the Precision Quality (PQ) Curriculum Training Program aimed at building the capacity of TVET academic staff and business scale advisors.
The Program aims to enhance the TVET curriculum, work skills, and practices of students and professionals within the sector while ensuring strict adherence to industry standards and certification requirements.
The program is part of a three-year “Transforming youth TVET livelihoods for sustainable jobs’’ partnership between DTI and the Mastercard Foundation that seeks to provide 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for young people in Ghana. It will impact TVET instructors, Master Craft persons, and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
Launched during a five-day ‘Training of Trainers’ workshop in Accra, where the first group of 12 facilitators from Technical Universities and business centres across three regions in the country were trained, the program will be extended to cover academic staff of all participating Technical Universities in Ghana.
Under the partnership, DTI will provide training to 1,000 youth in precision fabrication and enhance the competency-based learning of selected Technical Universities in TVET training to reach a total of 5,000 students.
The partnership will also train an additional 5,000 Master Craft Persons in precision quality as well as 1,000 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to improve their work skills and practices to meet global industry standards.
“The PQ curriculum has been carefully designed to equip young people with industry demand skills to prepare them for fulfilling jobs. The training of facilitators is a major step to ensuring that the curriculum becomes a key component of TVET education in the country. We will continue to focus on developing quality program interventions and creating an enabling environment so that students can continue to innovate and establish thriving businesses,” said Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, CEO of DTI.
The training program seeks to help TVET facilitators understand the relevance of competency-based learning and appreciate the content of the PQ curriculum. It will also deepen the existing collaborative relationship between industry practitioners and academia.
The PQ curriculum consists of five training modules, including Change to grow, process integration, people and team development, health and safety in the workplace, and managing quality and customer relations. It is accredited by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET).
“Driving reforms in TVET education and building the capacity of instructors will contribute significantly to preparing young people for the world of work while creating opportunities for innovative entrepreneurship within the sector,” said James McIntyre, Program Lead for Education and Skills at the Mastercard Foundation.
At the end of the five-day training, participants expressed their readiness to share their knowledge on precision quality and commitment to implement the new curriculum in schools and training centres throughout Ghana.
About the Young Africa Works Program
Young Africa Works is the Mastercard Foundation’s strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030. It is estimated that by 2030, Africa will be home to the world’s largest workforce, with 375 million young people entering the labour market. With the right skills, these young people will improve their lives and the lives of their communities, contributing to Africa’s overall competitiveness.
The Young Africa Works program is currently being implemented in seven African countries in collaboration with governments, the private sector, business leaders, educators, and young people. Countries involved in the first phase of the strategy include Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda.
