The establishment of sector skills bodies has been identified as an essential vehicle that brings together relevant private sector industries and industry professional bodies, relevant government institutions, and education and training institutions to explore and address the present and future workforce needs of industry.
The Director General of the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, who announced this explained that one of the surest ways by which all stakeholders could tackle the skills mismatch challenges between what is needed in industry and what is being supplied by the training institutions was through the establishment of the sector skills bodies.”
He was emphatic that, “it is paramount for industry to be at the centre of skills development to provide the right environment for the creation of employment opportunities”.
Dr Asamoah announced this when he led some staff and management of the CTVET and a team from the sector skills bodies for construction and automotive to have direct engagements with some industry players in Accra in order to accelerate the process of making TVET in Ghana industry-led.
The visit took the team from the sector skills bodies for construction and automotive and the CTVET team to the Anointed Electrical Engineering Services, Lake Side Estates and the University of Ghana Toyota Training Centre in Accra.
Interacting with the management and staff of the institutions, Dr. Asamoah indicated that, as part of the mandate of the Commission, it facilitates collaboration between training institutions and industry to promote industry-led and demand-driven curriculum development and placement.
The commission also promotes workplace experience learning and the recognition of prior learning hence the need for these visits.
He stated that they were undertaking the visits to familiarize themselves with the work of the institutions with the aim of exploring possible avenues for collaboration and synergies especially in the light of the ongoing implementation of the Ghana Skills Development Fund (GSDF) which is being implemented by the Commission.
According to Dr. Asamoah, industry plays a critical role in the skills development of any country and this is why as part of the strategic plan for TVET, the Commission has established sector skills bodies.
The Commission has set aside the month of August as the industry engagement month and will continue with these engagements throughout the country until the end of this month.
