Education

We Are Closing Gap Between Skills Training and Skills Demand – NAPO

The Minister of Education, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has spelled out some initiatives being undertaken by his ministry to ensure the gap between skills training offered to young people and the skills demand by industry is closed, to ensure better prospects of relevant to the workplace.

He made this revelation when he joined a penal discussion at the ongoing Innovation Africa Summit in Accra on the topic ‘Strengthening the Relationship between School and Work: Policies and Innovations.’ The discussion was moderated by Ms. Karen Kester, Deputy Director of Education Services at Cambridge Assessment International Education, and other panelists included Ministers from Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Senegal.

In his contribution, Dr. Prempeh set out some of the initiatives his ministry is pursuing, including conducting a Skills Gap Analysis and Audit seven key sectors, which has helped us to identify the gaps in these areas, a 5-year strategic plan in the Technical Vocational Education & Training (TVET) sector to address the skills gap, and the setting up of sector skills bodies to guide and inform curriculum development as part of measures to get industry to lead the generation of occupational standards, which informs curriculum development.

On Ghana’s experiences of working with employers and involving them in schools to improve opportunities for students, the Minister stated that the Ministry of Education works with the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the Federation of Professional Trade Associations of Ghana (FEPTAG) and the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF) and that all of these entities have the avenues to provide direct and indirect inputs into the development of the schools.

He added that their members sit on relevant boards and committees to enable them to work closely with some of the institutions and even serve as mentors to them, with the Garments Department of Ada Technical Institute, for example, having a good working relationship with the Nallem Clothing.

The Innovation Africa Ministerial Summit, which has brought together over 250 ministers, state officials, educational experts and technology giants from Africa and around the world, seeks to discuss ways of infusing technology in education to improve learning outcomes. The three-day summit was addressed by President Akufo-Addo earlier today and will close tomorrow.