The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) has held a skills development workshop for stakeholders to update them on the results of the first component of Ghana Skills and Technology Development Project (GSTDP).

The GSTDP, which comprises four components, aims to achieve improved demand-driven skills development and increased adoption of new technologies in selected economic sectors for industry, training and research institutions involved in the delivery of skills and technology.

The first component is to strengthen government institutional capacity in planning, coordination, quality assurance and service delivery towards improved quality, relevance, accountability and effectiveness in skills development.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, the COTVET Executive Director, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the first component of the GSTD had been able to develop about 30 manuals which were being utilised by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions.

He said they had as well developed management information system which covered monitoring and evaluation, quality assurance, and institutional development plan being part of the outcomes of the project.

Dr Kyei Asamoah linked the skills development to government’s one district one factory programme, saying; "The factories could run successfully if there are competent employees who have acquired the requisite skills".

He said COTVET was working with the Ministry of Trade and Industry to identify the different categories of industries that would be established so that COTVET and its stakeholders would prepare to support them.

He explained that the support would enable the factories to come up with the highest standards of products and services.

Mrs Patricia de Bruijn, the Managing Director of Cadena International, said the 21st-century classroom and workshops covered digital content in a virtual learning environment, harnessing emerging technologies, and Integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based learning in TVET.

She said the objective was to improve access, relevance and quality of TVET education through the integration of ICT based resources, and the introduction of new technologies combined with practical hands-on education and training.

Speaking on the introduction of smart classrooms for TVET improvement, Mrs de Bruijn said the smart classrooms enhances traditional TVET teaching, teacher performance and delivery, interdisciplinary work, self-paced learning, working on different assignments in small groups and maximising the use of the existing workshops.

The Second Component of the GSTDP project focuses on ‘Institutional Strengthening of Science and Technology Development’; which includes strengthening of planning, management, and coordination of national science, technology and innovation policies and programmes.

The Third Component would highlight ‘Financing of Skills and Technology Development Programmes’ through the Skills Development Fund which had been established with funding from Education Sector Programme, the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and the Ghana Education Trust Fund.

The Fourth Component would target Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation, to provide effective implementation of the project by establishing a project support unit to assist COTVET and participating ministries for effective co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation.