The Government, through the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), has trained more than 19,000 master craft persons and apprentices since 2018 under the Ghana TVET Voucher Project (GTVP).

Out of the number, 13,883 persons representing 73 percent are females, whiles 5,179 trainees signifying 27 percent, are males.

Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, Director General of CTVET, made the disclosure when officials of the Commission visited the Dabokpa Technical Institute in the Northern region, one of the beneficiary institutions of the project.

The GTVP is a project under the Ghanaian-German Financial Development Cooperation, co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank and the Government of Ghana.

The Commission for Technical Vocational Education and Training is the implementing agency.

GTVP offers demand-driven training vouchers to CTVET-registered master craft persons, their apprentices and workers.

The vouchers are used to fund competency-based training (CBT) courses in CTVET– accredited training institutions for certification in National Proficiency Levels I and II and Certificate I and II respectively.

Mr Albert Opare, Head of Corporate Affairs for CTVET, interacting with the media, also explained that beneficiaries of the scheme would receive training in skills areas such as, automotive repairs, cosmetology, garment, welding, consumer electronics, plumbing, electrical installation, block laying and furniture making.

He said the government had secured additional funding of $60 million dollars from the World Bank and $40 million Euros from the German Government through KFW Bank to expand the project by training at least 50,000 more beneficiaries over the next five years.

He said in addition to the training provided, the GTVP project had had a very positive impact on the TVET system in Ghana, key among them being the numerous training institutions, which had been encouraged through the project to register with CTVET and achieve official accreditation for CBT implementation.

Mr Opare also said the scheme had resulted in trade associations and informal sector training providers being encouraged to register with CTVET.

He said through the project, Ghana had witnessed the CBT approach being implemented on a big scale for a large number of Ghanaian youths as well as the modernisation of traditional apprenticeship system in Ghana through the implementation of the project.

It had also strengthened CTVET as the regulatory body for TVET in Ghana.