The Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has cut sod for work to commence on the first phase of the 32 state-of-the-art Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Centres being constructed across the country.

The project is aimed at increasing the employment rate of the youth in Ghana through the provision of skills training especially in the rural areas.

It would also expand equitable access to public TVET institutions, targeting females and the rural poor, and equipping the youth with entrepreneurial skills.

Dr. Bawumia, speaking at the ceremony at Abrankese in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region, said the phase one comes at a cost of €158,901,273.00, and is expected to be completed in the next 24 months.

It would comprise one TVET Centre of excellence, 16 category-A Centres, and 15 Category-B Centers.

All these institutions will be provided with a variety of infrastructure, including administration blocks, accommodation facilities, and common areas, playing grounds, furniture, fittings and external works, tools and equipment for workshops, as well as Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment.

The institutions under the first phase are made up of nine centres and will be located at Abrankese in Ashanti, Akyem-Awisa in Eastern, Boako in Western North, Kenyasi in Ahafo, Patuda in Bono East, Dambai in Oti, Salaga in Savannah, Guabuliga in the North-East and Tolibri in the Upper West Regions.

The Vice-President observed that TVET was a key catalyst to spur Ghana’s industrialisation and create decent job opportunities for the citizens of this country.

He said for sustainable development to take place, there was the urgent need to pay attention to training and make available to the industry highly skilled human resources to serve as the drivers of the economy.

“In addition to the reforms and upgrade of infrastructure, the government is establishing Sector Skills Bodies to focus on exploration of business opportunities, innovation and capacity needs within the TVET sectors,” he disclosed.

This will help to improve the role of industry in the government’s skill development agenda Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, said.

He added that investing in state-of-the-art facilities and Centres of Excellences was a “must have” for any serious nation and commended the government for taking such initiative in TVET.

“If Ghana truly hopes to transition to an upper middle country, then we must take TVET seriously.

“We must ensure that the appropriate level of skills in the workforce meets the growing demand of industry,” Dr. Adutwum noted.

According to the Education Minister, it was time Ghanaians turned around the fortunes of the country using TVET and technology for development.

Dr. Fred Kyei Asamoah, the Director-General, Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, said the government had created innovative programmes and projects in the education sector that contributed to reforming and strengthening the educational system.

The Planet One Group, a consortium developing and executing projects in education, was partnering to champion the project.