Picture:
Vice Chancellor, Professor K Sarfo of AAMUSTED addressing the audience at the special congregation where 150 trainees passed out after completing competence based training after six months.
Story:
A TOTAL of 150 persons last Friday graduated from the Akenteng Appiah Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) having gone through a competency based training (CBT)for six months.
The 150 passed out as teachers and facilitators from the new CBT module sponsored by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) in collaboration with the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training (CTVET).
Speaking at the special congregation on Friday, Chairman of the Governing Council of AAMUSTED, Mr Paul Akwasi Agyemang said the trainees had been adequately nurtured and equipped via intensive facilitation, assessments and verification processes.
He noted that, ‘the graduates were therefore passing out as fully qualified persons to continue the respective phases of their careers in Technical Vocational EducationTraining’.
Details:
The Council Chairman noted that the unemployment situation in Ghana was staggering and therefore any training that would equip persons to do something on their own and make them entrepreneurs was welcome news.
He noted that AAMUSTED was set up to provide avenue for training in such areas including entrepreneurship.
“AAMUSTED was established with clear mandates to provide higher education in technical, vocational and entrepreneurial training to develop skilled manpower for job creation and economic development”, Mr. Agyemang posited.
He added that the University was also among other things set up to train and provide teachers the relevant competencies for teaching in technical and vocational education and training institutions.
Vice-Chancellor:
On his part, the Vice Chancellor of AAMUSTED, Professor Frederick K Sarfo revealed that the agreement between his outfit and GIZ, main sponsors of the program was signed in February of this year.
The agreement, he noted has enabled them to train 1, 476 learners who would each receive a Diploma in Education (competency based training option) or Certificates of Competency in various CBT units at the diploma level.
He revealed that the beauty of the training was that deliberately, the beneficiaries were selected from a wide range of relevant TVET institutions all over the country.
“Apart from the 150 tutors from TVET Colleges of Education who will be graduating today, others who had received training included 120 workplace facilitators from industry, 100 in CBT programme development from Industry, 500 master craft persons in Workplace Facilitation and Supervision and 400 CBT facilitators, assessors, internal verifiers from Technical Institutes and Technical Universities”, the Vice-Chancellor explained.
GIZ Rep:
Ulrike Schmidt, Head of TVET Unit at GIZ addressing the special congregation said the German government remained committed to supporting the transformation of TVET in Ghana hence the injection of over 600,000 euros into the project.
According to her, the catalyst for a good quality TVET system is the training of its staff, facilitators, curriculum developers, assessors and verifiers.
CTVET Representative:
Deputy Director at the Commission of Technical and Vocational Education Training CTVET), Mr Sampson Damptey Tettey commended GIZ for sponsoring the project and noted that the outcomes would yield tremendous benefit to the Ghanaian people.
An Alumni of AAMUSTED himself, Mr Tettey urged the graduands to pass on the knowledge they had acquired from the training unto those they would get to teach.
By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie
Kumasi
