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01.10.2014 Business & Finance

2nd SDF Skills and Technology fair opens in Accra

By MyJoyOnline
2nd SDF Skills and Technology fair opens in Accra
01.10.2014 LISTEN

The second edition of the Skills Development Fund technology fair has been launched in Accra.

The two day fair will provide a platform for 40 selected grantees to exhibit their goods and services to prospective customers.

The Skills Development Fund, an initiative of government is a competitive challenge fund addressing the skills and technology needs of business enterprises operating in both the formal and the informal sectors.

It is supported by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) under the Ministry of Education with funding from Danida and the World Bank.

It also provides grants to Science, Technology and Research Institutions to develop innovative technology required by industry to be efficient and competitive in the global arena.

The fair brings together participants from small, medium and larger scale businesses, research institutions, science and technology institutions, development partners and the media.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, Samuel Okudzeto bemoaned people's attitude towards technical and vocational education in the country.

According to him, technical and vocational training plays a pivotal role in transforming Ghana's economy.

“It provides the building blocks for the meaningful take off of any industrial revolution by empowering the middle level manpower to propel productivity level and quality in the productive sectors of the economy”.

Okudzeto Ablakwa called on Ghanaians to change their attitude towards technical and vocational education in the country.

Also, Project Coordinator and Head of COTVET PSU, Mathew Dally called for more support in technical and vocational training.

He noted that no nation developed without a competent, middle-level technical manpower base equip with the requisite skills and innovative technology.

“There can be no transformation of our economy without placing skills and technology on our political and developmental agenda. Industrialized nations like Britain, Germany, South Korea and Malaysia are enough evidence to this” he added.

Mr. Dally said they are working diligently towards the realization of government's agenda to find a lasting solution to the problem of irrelevant curriculum or training content in the country's training institutions which rendered skills in the private sector outmoded and irrelevant to fast-changing industry trends. Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com

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