Prioritise skills development training — Technical universities urged
The Chairman of the African Union of Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Dr George Afeti, has advised technical universities to place priority on skills development training of graduates who can effectively help address the country’s development challenges.
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He said until such institutions were able to function as practice-oriented, teaching universities of applied sciences and technology, with a focus on skills development, they run the risk of becoming “junior universities by mimicking the traditional universities”.
“Technical universities are expected to offer mainly science and technology-based skills training programmes that are vocationally oriented or career focused at the certificate, diploma, degree and eventually, postgraduate levels,” he said.
Inaugural lecture
At the inaugural lecture of the Koforidua Technical University, Dr Afeti said: “Technical universities have the obligation, indeed the responsibility, to contribute to the greater differentiation and diversification of tertiary education system and the training of differently skilled graduates.”
The lecture, held on the theme: “Technical university: The key to industrial development of Ghana,” was organised by the Koforidua Technical University as part of activities to formally unveil the university and shape the orientation of staff and students towards the technical university concept.
The event also brought together the academia and industrialists to interact.
Good idea
Dr Afeti said while the establishment of technical universities was a good idea, managers of such institutions should guard against the phenomenon of mission drift, or the risk of departing from their stated mission and mandate, which might occur, should they develop an unhealthy appetite to operate like traditional universities.
“The expanded autonomy conferred on the converted polytechnics as technical universities should not become licence for indiscriminately mounting new programmes without ensuring that the requisite human, material and financial resources to effectively run such programmes are available or procurable.”
“Quality, relevance and graduate employability should be the focus of technical university education,” he added.
Application of knowledge
He said their focus should be on the application of knowledge and the provision of knowledge of technology solutions to small and medium enterprises through practical research, rather than on fundamental research.
“The emphasis should be on the acquisition of employable skills and what should be learnt to respond to industry needs and the interests of learners,” he said.
He added that for technical universities to differentiate themselves, they must have strong link with business and industry, as well as adopt cooperative education strategy where student admission was based on market-demand and training delivery, supported by industry experts.
Dr Afeti added that technical universities were also expected to create logical academic and professional progression pathways at the tertiary level for practically inclined senior high school students and technical school graduates, as well as higher national diploma (HND) graduates, without departing from the practice-oriented philosophy of polytechnic education and training.
He also said technical universities would enhance the attractiveness of technical and vocational education and training in general, since young people with aptitude for technical education would no longer see the TVET as a ‘dead end’, but rather as an avenue of possibilities for developing their skills to the highest level possible, whether they started as apprentices, artisans or middle-level technicians.
Collaboration
The Executive Chairman of the Berock Ventures Limited, Mr Rockson K. Dogbegah, called for a stronger collaboration between academia and industry due to the rapid evolution of the business environment and the vast transformation in the academic world, stressing that, “The role of tertiary institutions now extends beyond teaching and research to the production of highly skilled workforce for a globally dynamic and competitive market.”
In her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the Koforidua Technical University, Prof. (Mrs) Smile Dzisi, said as part of its transitional activities, management of the institution had outlined a series of lectures, workshops and seminars to help shape the orientation of staff and students towards the technical university concept.