… as EU, others support Ghana’s vocational education training
Some 10 million jobs are expected to be created in Ghana in the next five years under the The Vocational Education and Training (VET) Toolbox Project, a technical cooperation facility set up to promote a demand driven Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The project which was launched in Accra on Thursday September 27 is co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), (GIZ).
President Akufo-Addo ealier announced his government will construct 20 TVET institutions across the country to demonstrate his commitment to technical and vocation education.
His government, he added, will equip and upgrade some 35 existing TVET institutions across the country.
Mr. Robin Cordes, Deputy Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy in Ghana, said the project is to recount for a renewed partnership to curb youth unemployment in Ghana.
‘’The implementation approach of the VET Toolbox project is an excellent partnership to demonstrate common goals,’’ adding, it is the first time in the area of TVET that the EU has commissioned a consortium of agencies to implement a program in multiple countries including; Ghana and the German government is happy to be co-financing it,’’ he remarked.
Implementation agencies
The implementing agencies of the project are the British Council, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Enabel and LuxDev; some 15 million euros has been dedicated for the project across Africa and Asia.
Andreas Hoth, a VET expert said the initiative is to offer short-term technical expertise and advice, grant funding for initiatives and to promote inclusion of vulnerable groups in VET. It is also aimed at sharing best practices, provide methods and tools to encourage networking, offer dialogue and exchange of experiences.
The process
According to him, Ghana is one of the first countries to participate in the project and has received three support requests from the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations (NABPTEX) and the NGO FARIAD.
Public and private institutions working on VET and employment promotion from Ghana can electronically submit a request for support to the VET Toolbox.
The VET Toolbox Coordination Hub assesses the request, and if eligible, defines the support intervention in dialogue with the requesting institution. The short-term expertise is then selected and fielded to work with the requesting institution/s in Ghana.
Experts will advise the institutions in the area of curriculum development, skills forecasting, career guidance, private sector engagement in TVET as well as mainstreaming activities to include women and persons with disabilities in TVET.
By Mawuli Y. Ahorlumegah
