COTVET to introduce competency-based training
From November 2014, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) will begin the implementation of a competency-based training curriculum on a pilot basis in seven technical and vocational training institutions in the country.
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The new curriculum, developed by a private company, M.K.A. Amoako Company Ltd, is a shift from the traditional way of theoretical method of teaching to practical-based learning.
Subject areas
The curriculum focuses on six subject areas. They are Electronic Technology; Electrical Engineering Technology; Motor Vehicle Engineering; Mechanical Engineering Technology; Fashion Designing Technology and Hospitality & Catering Management.
The participating institutions are Akwatia Technical Institute; Kpando Technical Institute; Accra Technical Training Centre; Ada Technical Institute; Asuansi Technical Institute; St Paul’s Technical Institute and Hannah Girls Vocational Institute.
At a trainer of trainers workshop to introduce the new curriculum to the selected technical schools, the Chief Executive Officer of M.K.A. Amoako Ltd, Mr Kofi Amoako, who presented the document to the Executive Director of COTVET, Mr Sebastian Deh, explained that his company took into consideration the needs of the industries to come up with the document.
Basis for new curriculum
Mr Amoako said in developing the new curriculum, the old one was looked at and lapses were identified, adding that the competency-based training would focus more on specialisation in specific areas.
He said with the new curriculum, learning would be based on units, and students did not need to take a final examination of all the subjects at a go, adding that, “it is a life-long kind of learning”.
Receiving the documents, Mr Deh warned that the documents to be presented to the participating institutions should not be left to gather dust.
He said it was good that heads of the participating institutions took part in the workshop to ensure that there were no challenges such as lack of funds and skills in implementing the new document.
Mr Deh said COTVET was working at making technical and vocational institutions in the country truly practical and competency based and that explained why “we are gathered here to adopt the new way of learning TVET.”
Importance of technical/vocational education
The Chairman of the Industry and Training Advisory Committee of COTVET, Rev. Eric Otenkorang Ankrah, stressed that the challenges the country was going through could be blamed on the relegation of technical education to the background.
He said if the country was to move forward, it would depend on the technical and vocational education and challenged teachers in the area to change their perception of technical education.