The Ministry of Education as part of government's five-year strategic plan to transform Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) has inaugurated Sector Skills Bodies at a ceremony in Accra.

The aim is to establish strong links between industry and academia in the TVET space.

Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) aim to increase and strengthen the involvement of industry in the way skill systems are governed and operated.

These include; understanding the future skill needs of a sector and ensuring that learners are trained on appropriate skills for the future; taking forward innovative skills solutions to address labour market changes, such as automation and globalisation; increasing the amount of employer investment in training and skills development; addressing youth unemployment and reducing the reliance on migrant labour; supporting and promoting government and industry skills initiatives and; promoting skills development to employers and workers in a sector.

Government has set out to establish twenty-two (22) Sector Skills Bodies. Eleven of them have already been inaugurated.

The 22-member board of the Sector Skills Bodies, which is chaired by Dr. Grace Amey-Obeng is tasked to spearhead the regulation of the Beauty and Wellness sector.

These Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) are groups from related sector industries with a common aim to participate in the governance of skills training and workforce development to enhance productivity, competitiveness and sustainable employment.

In a speech read on behalf of the  Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Deputy Minister, Gifty Twum Ampofo said involving industry as an integral part in the skills development machinery can improve the quality and success of TVET implementation at all levels.

She said to ensure maximum success of the program, the Ministry considered it crucial to forge mutually beneficial partnerships with the private sector such as  apprenticeship, Dual TVET, Workplace Experience Learning (WEL) and employment.

The Minister explained that a functional Technical, Vocational, Education and Training /skills development system will improve the productivity and competitiveness of the skilled workforce and raise the income-earning capacities of low-income groups, especially women through the provision of quality-oriented, industry-focused, competency-based training programs as well as the provision of other complementary services.

On his part, the Director-General of Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Fred Kyei Asamoah, said industry has been an integral part of Technical, Vocational, Education and Training (TVET) from its early beginnings where master-craft persons passed on their skills and knowledge to apprentices.

He noted that TVET provides the people with relevant skills to prepare them for the complexities on the global job market.

"CTVET being an organisation that regulates, promotes and administers Technical, Vocational Education and Training for sustainable development in the country, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education it is committed to take significant steps to ensure that TVET system is able to support and cater to the diverse talents of Ghanaians.

We’re improving access and equity so that the vulnerable and disadvantaged can have a fair shot at success," Mr. Asamoah said.

He added that TVET is expected to be attractive and change perceptions amongst parents and students regarding the value of TVET and apprenticeships to give the youth the chance to shape their own future.