A senior lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has said Ghana needs vocational and technical skills to support its industrialization drive and the attainment of middle-level income status. Dr Joseph Ofei Darko of the College of Engineering of the university said Ghana requires a strong technical and entrepreneurial manpower towards an accelerated development. He was speaking at the graduation of 77 students of the Ramseyer Vocational and Technical Institute, under the theme: “The Importance of Technical and Vocational Education and Training in the Nation’s Development”, at Kyirapatre in Kumasi on Saturday. Dr Darko commended government for establishing the National Council for Technical and Vocational Training, under the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, to implement a national post-basic technical and vocational education and training system to guide policy makers and sensitize the public on government’s new vision for technical and vocational education and training. He noted that in the current globalised economy, the impact of high technology on occupation, the setting of higher performance standards by employers and the demand for employees with specialized training skills had made technical and vocational education training imperative. Dr Darko said “it is heart-warming that governments all over Africa are now focusing on the training of vocational and technical personnel as a means of propelling their manufacturing sector forward and helping to reduce the rate of unemployment.” He urged authorities of technical and vocational institutes to look for alternative sources of funding to finance research work and replace obsolete equipment, to supplement government subvention. Dr Ofei advised students to take their studies seriously students and desist from indiscipline and hooliganism that could affect their development. Source: GNA