The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) held a 3-day stakeholders meeting on the establishment of Sector Skills Bodies, at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra.

The participants were key industry players in the Garment & Apparel, Transport & Logistics and Healthcare Industry sectors.  The aim of the meeting was to solicit inputs from participants on constituting the Sector Skills Bodies for the three sectors, to ultimately promote a better understanding of the skills demanded in each of the identified sectors for the development of skills in the country.

Addressing participants, the Executive Director of COTVET, Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, expressed government’s commitment towards revamping skills as a way of increasing productivity and generating sustainable employment.

He said the sectors need to “build capacity for the people at least from the SHS level especially now that TVET education is free to make the industries attractive.’’ “We must advise the young ones to venture into skills training and if we are able to develop all the sectors, it will be a turnaround for our economy”, he added.

Dr. Asamoah encouraged the sectors to take the opportunity of the system especially now that government is putting much resources into TVET education and the Voucher Project. He called on all the participants to contribute meaningfully in identifying the major stakeholders to bring on board to form the sector skills body; to ensure intense and proper training to get more skilled personnel to boost the sector for the growth of the economy.

Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Zogblah and Mr. Samuel Thompson led the facilitation of the sessions with support from Ms. Edith Adotey. The first day focussed on the Garment & Apparel, followed by the Transport & Logistics and the last day, Healthcare Industry.

COTVET seeks to establish 22 Sector Skill Bodies, six (6) of which have already been constituted, namely Construction, Agriculture, Health & Tourism, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive and Renewable Energy; to ensure that the exact skills needed in the country are developed.