Government supports apprenticeship programme with GH?800 million

The government is investing GH?800 million in the Ghana Apprenticeship Programme (GAP) to promote skill development and employment creation. The funding is derived from a loan of $40 million from the World Bank and pound 20 million Euros from the German Development Bank (KfW). Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia announced this at the launch of the Ghana Apprenticeship Programme in Accra, which aims to promote skill development and job creation in Ghana. People from Trade Associations, Sector Skill Bodies, Heads of TVET Institutions, and students attended the program, which was themed 'Fostering economic growth: Job creation via apprenticeship training'. Vice President Bawumia also explained that one distinct feature of the GAP was that the expected beneficiaries would include unemployed or underemployed individuals seeking skills and jobs. Others are high school graduates, university graduates and persons who have completed their national service but want to be reskilled, master craftspeople, their appren tices, and workers; cooperatives and trade associations, private enterprises, and workforces; and private and public training. He said the GAP would play a key part in modernizing apprenticeship systems by introducing formalised training providers, standardized curricula, and a robust quality assurance framework. The Vice President said the program would facilitate a shift from conventional methods to a competency-based approach, ensuring that apprentices are equipped not only with theoretical knowledge but also with practical, industry-relevant skills. 'By modernizing the apprenticeship system, GAP strives to make it more adaptable to the evolving needs of industries, enhancing the employability of apprentices and contributing to the overall competitiveness of the Ghanaian workforce' he said. Vice President Bawumia also stated that the programme's key activities encompass the development of eligibility criteria, training of Master Craft Persons (MCPs) and apprentices, assessment and certification of lear ners, and linkage to job and trade. He said the GAP had established voucher values, which would be reviewed and updated to meet the current economic needs of the private sector and training institutions, thereby strengthening Ghana's apprenticeship landscape. The government is implementing the programme through the Ministry of Education and Commission Technical Vocational Education and Training (CTVET). Rev Ntim Fordjour, Deputy Minister of Education, who spoke on behalf of Dr Yaw Adutwum, Minister of Education, said the launch of the initiative demonstrates the country's commitment to prioritizing its development goal. He commended those in the TEVET sector who have contributed to the nation's development through their businesses, TVET, and apprenticeship programmes. Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, Director General of CTVET, also praised the government for its major investment in the TVET sector and commitment to industrializing Ghana. He said the Commission was set up to ensure that the duplicity in the TVET s ector was curtailed and that progress is sustained. Dr. Asamoah said apprenticeships had been established as part of the government's transformation agenda to ensure that youths had alternate pathways to education and skill training. He said that ensuring that apprenticeship was demand-driven, standardized, quality-assured, coordinated, and regulated was one of the Ministry of Education and CTVET's top goals. Source: Ghana News Agency