Take advantage of Skills Development Fund - Minister urges youth
The Minister of Education, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, has opened a skills and technology exhibition fair, with a call on young entrepreneurs, especially university graduates, to take advantage of the establishment of the Skills Development Fund (SDF) to source funds to translate their knowledge into practical outcomes.
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According to her, graduates could also form consortiums to apply for funds from the SDF to improve and expand their businesses.
The SDF has received $60 million from the World Bank and the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).
The fund was initiated by the government of Ghana to provide critical solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing the development of the skills of industry and technology.
It is aimed at providing financial support for the private sector to enable firms to upgrade the skills of their employees and acquire innovative technology that promotes production efficiency and competitiveness.
Skills fair
The skills and technology fair is being organised by the Council of Vocational, Technical Education and Training (COTVET) at the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre.
Among other things, it is showcasing projects funded by the SDF since its establishment three years ago.
Thirty-two research institutions and other organisations are taking part in the fair.
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman noted that skills development was critical to the growth and development of the country and that it was the reason the government set up COTVET to support in that direction.
Skills Development Fund
The Project Coordinator and Head of the COTVET Project Support Unit, Mr Matthew Dally, said the SDF also worked towards the realisation of the government’s agenda to find a lasting solution to “the problem of irrelevant curriculum or training content in our training institutions.”
“The fund provides funding for training institutions to develop innovative curricula and training modules in skills areas required by industry or the private sector to become competitive. The fund has, since 2011, been supporting skills upgrading of employees for improvement in productivity and increased competitiveness,” he said.
A Senior Economist at the World Bank, Mr Peter Davours, commended the government for the establishment of the fund.
He said it showed the way Ghana was determined to develop a knowledge-based society.