The Ministry of Education with support from Ghana Skills Development Initiative (GSDI) have launched Ghana’s maiden National Skills Competition which will run from November 6 to November 9 at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre in Accra.

Organised by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), the competition aims at showcasing and inspiring world-class excellence in skills development and introducing the youth to a variety of skilled careers.

Speaking at the launch, Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said the competition will unearth talents of the students thereby developing a labour force that would aid in Ghana’s industrialisation agenda.

“As part of government’s agenda, the development of skills in Ghana is a major area that government is paying a critical attention to. This will be the backbone of Ghana’s industrialisation effort and any support given to technical, vocational and training in Ghana is worthwhile. Several factors affect Ghana’s industrialisation but one significant factor that would contribute to the success of Ghana Beyond Aid is the development of the labour workforce that would be relevant for industry”, he said.

Under the theme, “Skills for Jobs and National Development”, students from various technical and vocational schools across the country will compete against each other at the national level in order to represent Ghana at the World Skills Africa Competition.

On September 18 to 21, Zonal Competitions were run in Accra and Kumasi respectively in six (6) different skill areas. Out of it, 78 participants successfully qualified to be in the national competition.
The finalists have therefore been enrolled in different TVET training providers across the country and developing their practical skills in one of the following six skill categories; Information Technology, Construction and Building Technology, Fashion and Creative Arts, Social and Personal Service, Transport and Logistics as well as Manufacturing and Engineering Technology.

Six winners of the National Skills Competition, three from the Northern Zone and Southern Zones each will represent Ghana at Rwanda in Kigali from November 20 to 24, 2018.

The skills competition is being supported by the European Union, German Government, SECO, GIZ, Amatrol, De Lorenzo and Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The World Skills Competition is an international event where people not older than 25 years of age represent their countries and compete with each other in various artisanal trades and skills categories.