The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) have identified strengthening the TVET system and improving employable skills as a key to sustainable economic prosperity in Ghana.
Half of Ghana's population is younger than 30 years and there is still a large shortage in employable skills in all sectors of the economy in Ghana (USAID/Ghana Country Development Cooperation Strategy, 2019). A WorldSkills Ghana (WSGh) platform has been created to develop best practices for modern and efficient vocational education) and training and qualification together with educational institutions, industry and the government in Ghana.
WorldSkills is the global hub for skills excellence and development. Through international cooperation and development between industry, government, organizations, and institutions, WorldSkills promotes the benefits of and the need for skilled professionals through grass-roots community projects, skill competitions, and knowledge exchange. WorldSkills shows how important skills education and training is for youth, industries and society by challenging young professionals around the world to become the best in their respective skills area.
In November 2018, Ghana’s first National Skills Competition took place in Accra. The winners in turn, represented Ghana in the World Skills Africa Competition in Kigali in November 2018 where they competed in their respective trade areas and skills categories. Proudly, the Ghanaian contestants won gold in the Cooking category, silver in Hairdressing, silver in Electrical Wiring and bronze in Mechatronics.
Subsequently, Ghana applied for membership of WorldSkills International and was officially announced the 81st member of WorldSkills at the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Competition in Kazan, Russia in August 2019. As a new member, Ghana was assigned to WorldSkills Germany for mentorship and support.
The role of Worldskills Ghana in TVET delivery is to;
• Organising Skills Competitions aimed at inspiring world-class excellence in skills development.
• Inspire world-class excellence in skills development and introduce the youth to a variety of skills careers.
• Build capacity by introducing into TVET systems the exchange of skills through development programmes to enhance skills delivery.
• Engage facilitators to be trained in understanding their roles as experts and technical support in applying WorldSkills Standard Specification (WSSS).
To successfully achieve all the above, WorldSkills Germany has come in to partnered and mentor Ghana. WorldSkills Germany (WSG) has been a member of WorldSkills International since 1953 and is a formidable member of WorldSkills International. WorldSkills Germany brings on board many years of experience in organising national and international skills competitions, developing organisational structures and leading partnerships in the WorldSkills movement that WorldSkills Ghana can draw on. The WorldSkills Germany support team are Hubert Romer, Michael Buechele, Barry Hackh and Alba Losert.
The partnership seeks to:
a) Organize, plan, project management and implementation of the national competitions and preparation of experts and participants for international competition
b) Establish and expand the organizational structures of the WSGh Secretariat
c) Develop teams skills: experts, technical supporters, skills sponsors
d) Train experts, develop training and performance centres
e) Train Competitors; regarding their skills (soft and hard) and attitudes needed for competition
With this support, Ghana’s Skills organising Team and competitors will receive the needed training and preparation towards the National Skills Competition in August 2021, Namibia 2021 for WorldSkills Africa and finally for the WorldSkills International competition stage at Shanghai 2022.
Towards the preparation for the National Skills Competition in August 2021, a secretariat has been set up at the Accra Technical Training Center, (ATTC), Kokomlemle as a support office for the WorldSkills Ghana team.
The success stories of WorldSkills Ghana have been noteworthy;
Chef Sika Mortoo 2018 winner in the Cooking Category has progressed to win a Jollof competition between Ghana and Nigeria organized by Promasidor Limited under their brand Onga. She has also started her own business with the funds she won from the competition.
Three of the Competitors from the 2018 Skills Competition (Isaac Adjoka, Justice Nyarko and Clement Siaw have been selected by Delorenzo S.pA to create the first made in Ghana robotics training kit (bot-arm). They have set up their own company as well known as JIC Robotics.
And finally, Miss Lisa Mendita has been employed by FC Beauty College as a facilitator after successfully going through the 2018 National Skills Competition.
WorldSkills Ghana provides a great platform for skills development and support in building a robust TVET for Ghana’s Transformation.
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