The Role of the New Technical Universities in the Improvement and Implementation of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Ghana

Abstract

This paper addresses the relevance of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the new technical education model in higher education being pursued under the policy of converting the polytechnics into technical universities in Ghana. It rakes up the critical challenges facing the Tertiary Education system in most African countries, and illustrates how other countries address similar challenges vis-à-vis Ghana’s model for tackling her own challenges. The difficulties encountered by Polytechnics, which were established to address some of the challenges are juxtaposed against the new paradigm shift which is the conversion of polytechnics into technical universities. These are done in view of the role that the new technical universities are expected to play towards the improvement of implementation of TVET as a basis for the technological advancement of Ghana’s economy. It is suggested in this paper that TVET can be used as a measure in arresting youth employment in Ghana. The paper concludes by identifying the nature and kinds of support required from key stakeholders such as the Government, industry, development partners, the technical universities and other tertiary institutions.