Accra, Nov. 6, GNA - The National Skills Competition, the first of its kind in the country, has been officially opened at the Ghana International Trade Centre in Accra.
The competition dubbed “skills for jobs and national development,” is organized by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) and other partners.
Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, Executive Director of COTVET, said that the competition seeks to build on the need to promote and generate greater awareness on the importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and the development of skills for national development.
He said among a total of 450 applications received, 78 finalists who emerged as the best three in the skills areas from the Northern and Southern Zones, have been put together for the national competition.
Dr Asamoah said six winners of the National Skills Competition will represent Ghana in the World Skills Africa Competition in Kigali from November 20 – November 24.
The World Skills Competition is an international event where people not older than 25 years of age represent their countries and compete with each other in various artisanal trades and skills categories.
“It is my hope that through this event, we will contribute to the development of skills standards in Ghana, bringing us closer to the level of world standards. As we aim to strengthen coordination and cooperation among TVET Institutions and the Industry in assessing our skill level, an extremely important activity, when Ghana officially becomes a member of the World skills International, we hope to show case Ghana to world skills community as a very skillful nation,” he said.
Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education, said his Ministry would leverage on the National Skills Competition to enhance positive perception of TVET, education and career guidance for the young people and help them discover what they love and enjoy doing, what they want to further study, and the possible careers that could be pursued whilst growing up.
He said the competition will be held in every two years but would be alternating with the international competitions, adding that, hopefully this would improve the skills and standards of the young people as they compete amongst themselves.
“While several factors influence Ghana's industrialization effort, one significant factor that will contribute to the success of the "Ghana Beyond Aid” agenda that my government is pursuing, is the development of technical and vocational-skilled labour force that is relevant today and tomorrow.
“TVET has to contribute to sustainable development by empowering individuals, organizations, enterprises, communities, and fostering employment, decent work and lifelong learning so as to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and competitiveness, social equity and environmental sustainability, which we want to institutionalize in our educational system,” he said.
The finalist would compete in six main sectors namely; Construction and Building Technology, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, Social and Personal Services and Transport and Logistics.
The event was attended by H.E. Christoph Rezlaff, German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Diana Acconcia, European Union Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Markus N.P. Dutly, Swiss Ambassador to Ghana among others.
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