Accra Polytechnic on Thursday held an exhibition and poster conference to showcase the hands-on skills, innovation and talents of staff and students to the general public.

The conference displayed varieties of products from the 15 academic departments which was made possible by the collaborative efforts and teamwork of the teaching staff and students.

The three-day conference, which began on September 26th, is on the theme: “Polytechnic Education: The Catalyst to Ghana’s Industrial Development”.

Professor Sylvester Achio, Rector of Accra Polytechnic, said the Polytechnic Law (ACT 745) required the Polytechnics to show innovation and undertake applied research as a second major mandate, following teaching and learning, to remain relevant to the communities and the country.

He said as a result of the Law, the Polytechnic is aware of its focus and wants to exhibit its technical competency to the world.

Prof Achio said the Polytechnic had instituted a scheme to fund competitive research proposals from staff and the Internal Research Conference, to serve as a platform for discussing staff research findings and improve upon future activities.

He said the success of the Exhibition and Poster Conference would transform and sustain the image of the institute as the Premium Polytechnic in the country, and this can be attained through effective marketing of its talents, skills and inter-faculty collaborations.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, impressed with the works of the staff and students, said it would demystify the perception about the Polytechnics as a second rate tertiary institution.

“The role of Polytechnic education is crucial to the success of the quest for industrialization, which would depend greatly on the availability of the technical workforce from the Polytechnics,” he said.

He said Polytechnics are application-oriented institutions that must focus on the transmission and exploration of knowledge through practical teaching, creation of knowledge through applied research and application of scientific theories for the advancement of society.

He said the exhibition would market the Polytechnic to the international community, attract research funds to the institute and provide the exchange of ideas and views on current developments and applications of techniques for future developments.