Government has announced the establishment of the first-ever second cycle Applied Technology High School, as part of the implementation and realisation of its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) agenda.
The programmes to be offered will be designed as career-based technical education, which integrates career and technical education with a rigorous academic core and industry participation.
Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, who disclosed this, said: “industry participation is what will make it demand-driven while noting that the programmes to be offered will be benchmarked against international best practices and standards.
“Most importantly, the Applied Technical High Schools will build strategic alliances with community, industry, development partners and government, to ensure that it is responsive to the national needs and expectations for socioeconomic transformation.,” he said.
To this end, Dr. Bawumia, who was speaking at the official launching of the Ghana TVET Service added that the government has already designated four new TVET institutions across the country for this programme.
Additionally, he said: “all TVET institutions, which are now captured under the Ghana TVET Service, are included in the next academic year’s Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) for selection by Junior High School graduates.”
This means TVET institutions will be available for selection by JHS graduates and making them part of the government flagship free TVET and Senior High School (SHS) education for all programme.
There will also be the opportunity for those who complete their TVET programmes to continue from the National Proficiency levels through Certificate levels to HND, B.TECH, M.TECH to the Doctor of Technology level with the National TVET Qualifications Framework (NTVETQF), which the Commission is implementing for TVET.
Ghana TVET Service
The Ghana TVET Service forms part of government’s effort to revamp and mainstream technical and vocational education and training in the country.
This is against the background that, over the years, the TVET sector has faced many challenges. However, as a vital engine to the country’s industrialization agenda, the government has said it is committed to ensuring that citizens have the practical skills necessary for success.
It is for this reason that government moved in 2017 to streamline TVET, and after extensive work and national stakeholder consultation, pushed for the passage of the Pre-Tertiary Act 2020, Act 1049.
According to Dr. Bawumia, the essence of Act 1049 is to ensure that all TVET providing institutions, under some 19 ministries, are realigned to the Ghana TVET Service.
Hitherto, these TVET institutions were under umbrella bodies such as Ghana Education Service’s Technical and Vocational Education Division, National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), Opportunities Industrialisation Center – Ghana, among others.
The Ghana TVET Service thus has a mandate of effective coordination, regulation, harmonisation, standardisation and quality of instruction in TVET.
Dr. Bawumia noted that the combination of human capital and technology induces increasing returns to investment of any economy that drives growth while reiterating that the ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ could only be possible when the youth are equipped with competitive skills and are introduced to various skilled careers.
The Director General of the Ghana TVET Service, Mrs. Mawusi Nudekor Awitey, also speaking at the ceremony said TVET has received global recognition as the most practical avenue for acquiring job-ready skills.
She assured that the Ghana TVET Service is ready to equip learners with relevant and employable and entrepreneurial skills for the labour market.
“We are poised to facilitate practical workplace experience, learning and apprenticeship, while promising to give a new face to TVET in Ghana, reignite the passion of young men and women in TVET and make TVET the first point of call to education in Ghana,” she stated.
The Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, said the start of the Ghana TVET Service, among others, demonstrates that Ghana is moving towards the path of transformation.
He said by creating the Ghana TVET Service, “we have essentially brought together over 280 institutions from 20 ministries, departments and agencies,” under the Ministry of Education (MoE).
Mr. Osafo-Maafo further acknowledged that entrepreneurship is critical to maximizing the opportunities in the TVET sector.
