The Vocational Training for Females (VTF), a Presbyterian non-governmental organisation (NGO), focused on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) for females, has launched manuals to be used by institutions in Ghana. The manuals among its several objectives is to equip trainees from the TVET institutions with self and wage employment skills, develop entrepreneurial attitudes and traits for the job market, and acquire the basic knowledge and skills required for effective operation of enterprises.

but for me, I don’t buy it. Because every country that sees the need, they will make resources available to help the economy. “Because when you train them they don’t become unemployed, they become people who generate your resource so whatever you put in, you get it back”. These came to light at a public forum on TVET, under the theme, “building a solid foundation for TVET education in Ghana”, in Kumasi. This public forum brought together different stakeholders in the TVET sector to dialogue and bring to the attention policymakers the challenges of the sector and also to establish a very strong voice for change. Effects of politics in education In 2006, government introduced the Competency-Based Teaching (CBT) in TVET Education. It was meant to train the hand alongside the minds to make students more artisanal, but this initiative was however truncated, with the change of government in 2017. “Per the government white paper 2006, it made it clear that there should be a radical transformation and make TVET a credible alternative to Ghana education and that was 13 years ago. “So if we had focused on that and transformed our education sector, we should have transformed our country and by now we should be far away just like, Malaysia, Singapore, South Koreans have made etc,” Dr Asamoah observed. He noted, however, that some of the causes can be attributed to change of government. He believes if stakeholders were consistently advocating for it, then a change of government will not have been an issue. “Because 2006 was NPP and 2008 NDC came so if something is not your baby it is difficult for you to align with it.

Launching the manuals at a ceremony in Accra, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, stressed the need to strengthen TVET, to equip the youth to be able to create their own jobs. He observed that the PCG’s support in TVET education and commended the first Director of the VTF, Madam Comfort Ntiamoah-Mensah, for her unprecedented contribution towards TVET education through various interventions. Professor Martey was optimistic that the NGO would continue to set the standard for TVET “to become an area of education by choice and not by default.”

The VTF was established to promote TVET and enhance the employment opportunities for the youth, particularly females by linking trainees of technical and vocational institutions to industries for practicals and providing start-ups for them to begin their own businesses.

Ms Lynda Agyei, the Director of VTF, explained that the manuals were a second edition based on new knowledge, practices and market changes containing relevant information and concepts in simple language to stimulate understanding and relevance to the economy.

She said the manuals were in five units with each representing a complete learning experience including awareness creation, life skills, planning and production management, and managing ones business successfully, a guide for the teacher, and handbook and workbook for the students.

Ms Agyei noted that entrepreneurship was a holistic training experience or a mind-set that enables an individual to realise their potentials for a meaningful livelihood, emphasizing that “this mind-set is however needed in both wage and employment not only for those who seek to start their own businesses, but for those who are employed by others so that they can be more productive”.

Mr Charles Tsegah, a former acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), in a key note address, called for a concerted effort in removing the stereotypes and misconceptions around TVET programmes to make it acceptable to all manner of people to achieve its benefits.

He also observed that in making TVET meaningful, start-up facilities in the form of logistics were needed to begin a business and must be factored into every strategy in promoting TVET.

He commended the NGO in that area.