NVTI Communique

NVTI managers call for extension of assistant director rank to them

Biriwa (C/R), Aug. 23, GNA - Managers of the National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTI) on Wednesday called on management of the NVTI to liase with universities and higher institutions of learning to arrange vacation and sandwich degree courses for them and their heads of departments.

They said having realized that one of their hindrances and threats from their competitors in the new technical, vocational and educational training (TVET) programme was the academic qualifications of some categories of staff, management should find a way as a matter of urgency to upgrade NVTI staff.

This was contained in a 13-point communiqu=E9 adopted at the end of a three-day conference of managers that started on Monday under the theme, "TVET-the key to youth development and poverty reduction", at Biriwa.

The communiqu=E9, which was read by Mr Godwin Kudese, manager of the NVTI at Tamale, proposed that the rank of Assistant Director as pertained in the Ghana Education Service (GES) be extended to them and that all Principal Training Officers (PTO's) who have been on that rank for many years must also be promoted to the rank.

It also asked management to introduce annual bonus packages to reward other staff like the watchmen and women who have reached their upper limits on their scale and could not be promoted further. The communiqu=E9 stressed the need to improve communication links and interaction between head office and the NVTI centres. They appealed to the directorate to ensure that staff, equipment, handouts, textbooks and other teaching and training materials for the technical, vocational and educational training (TVET) programme be made available before the new programme took off in January next year. It should publicize future admission trade test examination dates, release results and certificates as well as key events of NVTI in both the print and electronic media.

The communiqu=E9 called on management to extend the payment of end-of-year incentive packages to cover staff and managers at the centres as was previously done.

Mr Stephen Amponsah, the director of NVTI, said the directorate had granted 50 million cedis each to Obuohu Vocational and the Kumasi Business Centres both in the Ashanti Region for infrastructure development and other centres would benefit from the package soon.

NVTI managers cautioned to be transparent in financial dealings

Biriwa (C/R), Aug. 23, GNA - Mr Stephen Amponsah, Director of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI), on Wednesday stressed the need for NVTI centre managers to be efficient and transparent in their financial dealings. He said their expenditures must be in conformity with approved budgets and should comply with the national procurement regulations as stipulated by the Procurement Act. Mr Amponsah said this at a symposium to end a three-day conference of NVTI centre managers .

Thirty-two managers attended the conference that was under the theme, "TVET-the key to youth development and poverty reduction." He said the centres, particularly the instructional staff, had not lived up to expectation and this reflected in the performance of the trainees and therefore called for their upgrading to enable them cope with the new NVTI academic discipline. Mr Amponsah said technical, vocational and educational training (TVET) system, which is among the new NVTI reform programme, required managers of the centres to sign a performance contract as from next year to ensure optimum output.

Mr Kenneth Nyanteh, chairman of the conference, said it was unfortunate that a chunk of the internally generated revenue of the centres went into the payment of salaries of locally employed staff due to inadequate staff in most centres.

He called for the establishment of a training department to train instructors to fill vacancies as it was being done for the Ghana Education Service, due to the embargo on staff employment. Nana Kwa Bonko, chief of Biriwa, said Baobab Foundation, an international NGO from Italy, would soon establish a university in the town and called on the staff of vocational centres to avail themselves of the opportunity to upgrade.

He commended all centre managers and their staff for their effort in equipping the youth of the country with employable skills and urged them to keep it up.