General News of Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Source: Martin Osei Tutu

Technical and vocational education should be given attention - GTUC Registrar

File photo; Technical and vocational education should not be ruled out in our curriculum File photo; Technical and vocational education should not be ruled out in our curriculum

The assistant registrar of Ghana Technology University College, Kumasi Campus, Mr. George Akom has admonished that for a country to grow, it must focus more on the teaching of technical and vocational training to produce entrepreneurs.

According to him, the statistics of technical subjects in the schools as compared to the normal course been run is not impressive and if Ghana wants to achieve greater heights in innovations and inventions,technical and vocational education should not be ruled out in our curriculum.

“When you come to Ghana Technology University College, the courses we run are more technical, a way to impact the knowledge of skills that can be transformed into meaningful life to have an impact on the society we live in,”Mr. George Akom.

Speaking to the New Crusading Guide on his assessment of technical and vocational training in Ghana, he was of the view that, countries that have seen massive transformation in all sectors of their economy tapped into the requisite skills develop in schools by students which have given strong pillars to their economy.

"I must say that some schools in Ghana are on course to iron out the differences between Technical education and other managerial courses", citing an example of his school, Ghana Technology University and others one can talk of.

The assistant registrar of GTUC hinted that without putting more efforts in technical and vocational education, ’we will go and come back with a nut’’ adding that for those who are given an entrepreneur training starts with their own business as well as impact the skill acquired in technical training into the society.

Therefore there is a need to sink deep into the reviving of technical subjects in our educational curriculum.

Most subjects, Mr. George Akom said, are not helping the country in a sense that the subjects treated in some schools in Ghana are foreign practices which are not helpful.

"Though, my school GTUC has established a relationship with some schools in the overseas, the interesting part is that those courses we run are all modern courses which students in Ghana are benefiting from it", he explained.

GTUC, the assistant registrar said, has chalked successes since its establishment over 10 years. He said the Kumasi campus has been in existence for 6 years and can boast of number of professionals the school has trained in different skills that are helping the country.

Speaking on the vision of the school, he said, the school is committed to excellence in the teaching and service to the nation and that they take pride in being a place where students and faculty can pursue knowledge without boundaries; a place where theory and practice combine to produce a better understanding of our world and ourselves.

Ghana Technical University College, Mr. George Akom, the assistant registrar said runs undergraduate programmes, re-sit examination policy, Centre for professional development, Centre for technical education training, faculty of computing and information systems, faculty of IT business and faculty of engineering.

He explained that for Ghana to reach the level of IT knowledge in business, Faculty of IT business offers related programmes underpinned by a strong IT foundation.

He called on the youth to engage themselves in vocational and technical training so that they can become entrepreneurs to help the country.