The President of JACCD Design Institute Africa, Madam Joyce Ababio, has raised concerns about the quality of training being produced under Ghana’s TVET programme, arguing that its competency-based structure is churning out graduates who are certified but not skilled.
Speaking exclusively to Business Outlook Africa, Madam Ababio argued that by the time a trainee completes the early proficiency levels, they have yet to touch any practical aspect of the work, meaning those who exit at that stage enter the industry without the hands-on knowledge the job demands.
She then advocated for the structure to be changed so that the students can get proper education and training to ensure they know more about the work once they are done with the program.
“ You see, when the TVET programme, for instance, it’s a competency-based training. And it goes through you doing proficiency one to proficiency two, to certificate one, to certificate two, to HND, to BTEC. By the time you are at BTEC, it’s like you have a degree.
Do you understand? So when you pick people when you teach them proficiency one and proficiency two, you haven’t even touched any part of the work at all. Not at all. So when you say I’m done, these people are not skilled workers.They don’t know anything at all. And that is what we need to work towards, getting them proper training so that they know the work to do.” She stated
Madam Ababio further highlighted access to finance as another major obstacle, noting that designers and manufacturers in the industry struggle to secure loans and when they do, the high cost of interest from banks makes borrowing an additional burden rather than a solution.
“And also finding funding, finance. We cannot get alone to do these things.The banks, the cost of interest, crazy. It’s also something else. ” She added
Madam Ababio then noted that,despite the challenges when the right policy interventions are made, the country has everything it takes to become a dominant force in the global fashion industry.
Watch full interview here:
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