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Ghana and the United States are set to strengthen ties in the area of vocational and technical training. This came to light when the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations recently paid a working visit to some renowned vocational and training institutions in the United States of America at the invitation U.S. Department of Labour for a programme on Child Labour. The institutions that the Minister visited include Genesee Valley Educational Partnership in Mount Morris, SUNY Geneseo, American Rock Salt, Once Again Nut Butter and Noyes Health. Nii Armah Ashietey also visited renowned Edison Tech and Munroe Community College respectively. Hon. Nii Armah Ashietey expressed the hope that the American institutions would share ideas with their Ghana counterparts on how to develop workforce infrastructure in Ghana, adding that possible partnerships will be the way to go. �It is amazing when you come to realize what goes on between industry and education,� he said. �If education is the key to (economic) development then technical and vocational training is a must to develop in the world of the workforce. Vocational and technical training can open a lot more doors than just education,� the minister said. �There is a mismatch between academics and the world of work that has to be breached,� he added. The Minister was of the view that President Mahama is seeking to reposition the country�s economy to one with a strong manufacturing base that sells value-added products abroad while also creating its own demand for made-in-Ghana products to reduce imports and provide more jobs, especially for youth and that it is important to place high premium on vocational and technical training. According to him, the Mahama administration was working to implement a number of programmes and projects to promote entrepreneurship, especially among the youth, in order to tap into their enthusiasm and creativity, hence the emphasis on technical and vocational training. The Minister said, the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations is pushing for a strong partnership between Edison Tech, which is a highly respected technical and Training Institution and local institutions such as the NVTI, Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCESS) and Opportunities Industrialization Centers Ghana OIC Ghana. The minister is also pushing for a partnership between Accra Polytechnic Suny Geneseo where ideas on manufacturing and other technical issues could be shared and transferred. Other career focused areas at the heart of the partnership include, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Automotive Technology, Computer Technology, Construction/Carpentry, Culinary Arts/Restaurant Management Services, Engineering and Design, Graphic Communication Technologies and Health Science. Such partnership will also include drawing up a curriculum for special education that will ensure the disabled and other disadvantaged people fit in society and not live their lives on the streets.