The Design and Technology Institute (DTI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to help train and equip young people with precision fabrication skills.
The MoU is to strengthen the implementation of the Precision Quality (PQ) curriculum aimed to produce excellent professionals in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DTI, Ms Constance E. Swaniker, said the agreement formed part of the institute’s collaborative strategy to work with stakeholders to “transform youth TVET livelihood for sustainable jobs”.
The project she said was in partnership with the MasterCard Foundations ‘Young Africa Work strategy’ which sought to recruit and train 1000 youth in precision fabrication and work readiness to improve on the work skills, and practices of 500 master craft persons and 1000 Small and Medium Enterprises through the PQ training programme.
Explaining the PQ training programme, Ms Swaniker said it was developed by industry players and certified by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) for introduction into the academic studies of technical universities.
“This is a major step that will help train learners who will develop innovative solutions to leapfrog the country into the fourth industrial revolution currently taking place around the world,” she added.
She reiterated that the role of DTI as a private sector institution was to provide the needed support to public institutions, such as KNUST to train the next generation of labour to meet the needs of the market, and urged the university to ensure a seamless integration of the PQ curriculum into their academic calendar.
“The initiative will bridge the gap between academia and the world of work looking at the rapid growth and changing trends in industry and so I encourage institutions to position themselves to embrace new trends,” Ms Swaniker stated.
The Pro Vice-chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Professor Ellis Owusu-Dabo, said the university had embraced the collaboration and was committed to providing the needed support to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
“We are excited as an institution for this agreement because it’s yet another milestone in our educational curriculum which will go a long way to grant additional skills acquisition for the students,” he stated.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
