A day’s conference of Women in Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) was held in Accra yesterday on the theme; “Challenging gender stereotypes in TVET in Ghana.”
The objective was to encourage young women to show interest and participate in male dominated trades to change the perception of TVET and highlight the changing situation many young women still face in terms of professional and occupational limitations.
It was organised by the GIZ-Employment for Sustainable Development in Africa a German development agency (E4D) under the auspices of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) campaign “My TVET MY Skills My Future.”
It brought together participants from selected junior, senior high schools as well as vocational and technical institutions in Accra.
The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of TVET, Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, said the country had made remarkable strides in the emancipation of women, noting that although the country had made progress in the enrolment of girls in TVET institutions, the educational pathway and professional careers for women were still limited.
Besides, she hinted that COTVET, through the Ministry, had secured a loan to rehabilitate and facelift all 34 TVET institutions in the country and establish 32 state of the art centres which were gender sensitive to encourage young women to take up skills in the sector.
In her view, vocational and technical training was the most practical avenue for acquiring readily employable skills stressing that to achieve Ghana Beyond Aid required the competent skills of artisans and technicians to man the various sectors of the economy.
Mrs Ampofo said with the support of Germany government was executing the Ghana voucher project which had since its introduction trained over 5,000 workers and apprentices out of which 60 per cent were women.
While expressing government’s commitment to the sector, she urged parents to play their role by encouraging their wards to take up courses in TVET education.
Mr Christoph Retzlaff, German Ambassador to Ghana, on his part said TVET education was a key pillar to ending youth unemployment in the country and encouraged young girls to take up careers in the sector.
He expressed his country’s assurance to cooperate with sector agencies to address the professional and occupational limitations and gender stereotypes that were often faced by women in TVET.
Dr Fred Kyei, Executive Director of COTVET said his outfit in June this year launched the My TVET campaign to help change the negative perception about technical education in the country and inspire women to take up careers in male dominated fields.
He said the recent development in the oil and gas sector would require the expertise of people in the TVET sector stressing that there was the need to encourage young women.
The German Ambassador said “When women are given an opportunity, because of their diligence and attention to detail they can do better in the sector if we can build our women, for Ghana can be beyond aid.”
BY ALLIA NOSHIE
