TVET Provision in Ghana
Box B.1 Two-Week Courses for Industry at the Accra Technical Training Centre The Accra Technical Training Centre (ATTC) has been organizing short two-week courses for industry since 1994. This was set up with the support of the French government at that time, but with no industry investment. Courses include Hydraulics, Industrial Electricals, Pneumatics, Programmable Logic Controller, Refrigeration, Welding, and Meterology. Courses appear to be quite popular with industry: At any one time between 5 and 18 people from industry are undertaking training. Programmable logic controller training is especially in demand. The ATTC has developed a basic curriculum package for these courses, which it updates on a rolling basis. In addition, before any industry sends its trainees, the ATTC discusses the specific curriculum with the industry to see how it can be adapted to meet the specific needs of that specific industry. Courses cost between Gh₵340–560 (approximately the same in U.S. dollars in 2008) and could cater for up to 15 people at any given time. Takoradi Technical Institute, Kumasi Technical Institute, and St. Paul’s Technical Institute also do similar short courses. Source: Former and current ATTC principal, November 19, 2008, and April 15, 2008.
Formal industry in Ghana appears to be generally of the view that TTIs can provide people with theoretical technical skills but not workplace skills. For example, the human resources manager of a large textile company in Tema commented on TTI graduates: “They have heard about theory but know nothing about practicals. So when they come you have to train them in almost everything … and almost all industries have the same problem.”16 This view was also acknowledged by the vice-principal of one of the TTIs: “industries are not so happy with graduates they get—as they lack some practical experience.”17 Industry frustration with the public TVET system and the perceived low quality of graduates coming out of the system led a number of industries to back the (now closed) Ghana Industrial Skills Development Centre at Tema (see the “The Ghana Industrial Skills Development Center” section), an institution that was set up separate from any government ministry and allied to the association of Ghana industries. Institutional autonomy and availability of information: Individual TTIs are able to admit students, engage staff (though according to some principals staff are sometimes posted to TTIs), appoint head of departments, prepare timetables, and disburse budgeted funds. The TVED director needs to approve course expansion and introduction of new courses and is involved in developing curricula and organizing national training programs for staff. Data on the supply side of the TTIs are quite well kept (number of institutes, staffing, enrollment, budget), but apart from gender disaggregation there are no other equity indictors. Few data are at hand on the quality of training being undertaken and none on the efficiency (including drop out and Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0280-5
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