Accra, June 1, GNA - The Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET) in collaboration with the City and Guilds Centre for Skills Development, UK, has embarked on a project aimed at changing the perception held by Ghanaians about Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET).

The outcome of the project would be used to inform COTVET's publicity and promotional strategies aimed at tackling the image of TVET. Mrs Heidi Agbenyo-Kwao, Senior Manageress, City and Guilds Centre for Skills Development, speaking at a TVET stakeholders meeting on Tuesday said the research would also result in the development of a model which could be piloted in some selected secondary schools and TVET institutions. "Other aims of the projects are to explore ways in which TVET can be effectively promoted as a viable option to young people, employers and also gain enhanced understanding of the local labour market needs and the requirements of young persons interested in TVET," she added. Mrs Agbenyo-Kwao said the research would target young people within the ages of 14 and 24 from some selected urban and peri-urban areas, parents and employers from both the formal and the informer sectors. Dr. Joseph Samuel Annan, Deputy Minister of Education, called for the establishment of a regulatory body to properly monitor the activities of all those who were in technical or vocation practice. He appealed to the stakeholders to implement all findings that would come out of their deliberations for the betterment of TVET in the country. Mr Dan Baffour-Awuah, Executive Director, COTVET, said the COTVET Act (Act 16, 2006) was passed with the sole objective of coordinating and overseeing all aspects of technical and vocational education and training in the country.

He said the aims were to ensure that the unemployed were given competitive employable and entrepreneurial skills within the formal and the informal sectors.

He expressed concern about the lack of interest on the side of parents especially to let their wards pursue vocational and technical education. "Of those who complete basic education, 40 per cent find places in the Senior High Schools while just seven per cent take the interest of enrolling in either a private or public TVET institution," he explained. Mr. Baffour-Awuah lauded the informal apprenticeship sector for being the largest skills provider and being responsible for some 80 to 90 per cent of all basic skills training in the country as compared to five to 10 percent from Non Governmental Organisations. He expressed satisfaction about the high level of interest that women had cultivated for apprenticeship and urged them to always pursue their dreams. In an open forum, the participants called for the establishment of an endowment fund for TVET, advertisement on the importance of TVET education, the teaching of TVET in the prestigious schools in the country and closer collaboration with all stakeholders. 1 June 10