What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
On 3 September 2012, law LI 2195 under the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) Act was passed in Ghana. It was followed by the launch of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Qualifications Framework (NTVETQF) on 23 October 2012. An eight-level framework was designed to meet the needs and adjusted to the reality of the Ghanaian education system and labour market. Qualifications provided by the programme should not only to merge with existing Ghanaian qualifications but also improve and modernize the Ghanaian education system to ensure further developments in the future (UIL, n.d).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
COTVET was established in 2006 to oversee the formulation of national policies on education at pre-tertiary and tertiary levels in both formal and informal sectors. Since 2012, it has been responsible for the NTVETQF initiative, ensuring the development of adequate educational programmes in accordance with the demands of the labour market and quality delivery (COTVET, 2020).
The council has set up five active committees that are actively involved in the implementation of the initiative:
- the Industry Training Advisory Committee (ITAC), which develops national occupational standards;
- the National Training Quality Assurance Committee (NTQAC), which controls the quality delivery in the technical and vocational education and training sector;
- the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Qualifications Framework Committee (NTVETQFC), which is responsible for controlling the NTVETQF, including non-formal and informal learning;
- the National Apprenticeship Committee (NAC), which oversees the development of apprenticeship policy;
- the Skills Development Fund Committee (UIL, n.d).
Competency-based training programmes are being implemented on a national scale through three technical and vocational education and training institutions:
- Accra Polytechnic (Level 5),
- Accra Technical Training Centre (Level 4),
- the National Vocational Training Pilot Centre in Accra (Level 3) (UIL, n.d).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
NTVETQF involves a number of stakeholders representing both public and private sectors, including the government, educational institutions and industry. Several ministries are involved in the programme, the most prominent ones being the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare (MoESW) (UNEVOC, n.d). The initiative is under the governance of COTVET, which is a semi-autonomous body under the Ministry of Education. The council coordinates technical and vocational education and training programmes in both public and private institutions. Stakeholders from various sectors comprise a 15-member board. Moreover, COTVET has established cooperation with numerous leading employers to implement competency-based training programmes on a national scale (UIL, n.d)
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Whom does it benefit and how?
The initiative ensures the facilitation of lifelong learning by creating an eight-level framework with progression pathways. Level 1 and 2 are the lowest, constituting informal/ non-formal ways of learning represented by traditional apprenticeships, with level 8 being the highest, constituting a doctorate in technology. Progression from the lowest to the highest level of the framework is possible in all subject areas, with an opportunity for credit transfer.
The key component of Ghana’s lifelong learning strategy is a validation of informal and non-formal learning. Recognition of prior learning is also a part of the strategy, with policies and regulations in development. The lowest two levels, Proficiency I and II, acknowledge informal apprenticeship, which is a common way of learning in Ghana. The new policies will benefit traditional apprentices by providing them with both formative and summative assessment, in addition to oral assessment based on observation and demonstration. The NTVETQF will also support workplace-based assessment, which will allow employees to gain new qualifications on the job, ensuring upward mobility. Thus, the framework will benefit not only the learners who are currently enrolled in schools but also informal and non-formal learners who do not have a school diploma but have been learning through apprenticeship or on the job.
Ensuring progression through levels and recognizing informal and non-formal learning breaks through the barriers that working adults without sufficient formal education have to face. Re-entering the formal education system in primary or junior high school in order to receive a Basic Certificate of Education was an opportunity within available equivalency programmes. The NTVETQF provides an opportunity to receive qualifications from basic proficiency level to tertiary level without having to re-enter school. It gives workers access to further training and education and aims to improve the quality of vocational and technical training provided by both public and private sectors (UIL, n.d).
References
COTVET, 2020. About COTVET. Mandate. [Online] Available at: https://cotvet.gov.gh/about-cotvet/ [Accessed 28 May 2021].
UIL, n.d. Ghana’s National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Qualifications Framework (NTVETQF). [PDF] Hamburg, UIL. Available at: https://uil.unesco.org/fileadmin/keydocuments/LifelongLearning/en/Ghana.pdf [Accessed 28 May 2021].
UNEVOC, n.d. Information on TVET in Ghana. [Online] Available at: https://unevoc.unesco.org/home/Ghana [Accessed 28 May 2021].