Ghana has for the past years highlighted her commitment to spearhead education that drives industrialization.

Successive governments have put in place measures to accelerate the education sector in that regard and diversify Ghana’s human resource base by channeling efforts into practical learning.

Earlier this year, Cabinet approved a five-year strategic plan for Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET), including the introduction of TVET Service Bill for enactment and operationalization including the Amendment of Legislation for Council for TVET (COTVET).

The plan also encompasses the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) and the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations (NABPTEX).

Many institutions, both public and private, have been established to bring the vision of TVET to fruition.

CDM School of Design in Accra is one of the fashion schools in Ghana blazing the trail on the skill development front as far as the garment-making terrain is concerned.

The school prioritizes the exploration of technologies and the acquisition of practical skills, understanding and knowledge and its impartation in the teeming Ghanaian youth.

Certificate in Fashion and Design, Diploma in Fashion, Pathway programmes and other preparatory courses fall within the scope of programmes run by CDMSD.

Rector for the school, Cecil Duddley Mends explained that in line with the TVET agenda, CDMSD’s “emphasis on training people for self-employment means establishing a center-based training facility equipped with the TVET curriculum to help promote skill acquisition and industrial development.”

Mr Mends believes style of fashion and design goes beyond vocational training.

The Rector doubles as the CEO of CDM Fashion Couture, a known global community serving all the fashion needs of clients.

According to him, some encounters with local interns who deliver substandard performance in design even after graduating from fashions schools made him worried about the future of the craft.

However, with his impressive track record, Cecil has now taken the tangent to impact the skill-set in the upcoming generation.

“Over the years and eminently has CDM Fashion Couture seen students among other individuals from all around the globe especially interns and graduands from most fashion institutions come to shape & sharpen their fashion skills. Per the performances of these students & individuals which to me was a fairly pass grade, the call to gather all these people and all others with the ambition of becoming great fashion designers under one umbrella to give them all it takes to be great came into being,” he said.

Cecil Duddley Mends urged the youth to take advantage of the programme because “there are a million untapped potential fashion markets out there that need to be tapped into hence CDMSD has all the requisite resources to equip you for the future.”

The school’s curriculum is geared towards developing the full creative potential of students to design to fit the needs of the country and couch a niche of relevance in the fashion space while establishing a gainful employment avenue in the process.

The Rector says “the facility combined TVET & the UK fashion institution curriculum to train & help students create an impressive portfolio for themselves.”

The facility is fitted with top-notch equipment to make the learning experience as practical as ever.

The Rector urged "every aspiring designer to enroll with us to experience this untapped strategy CDMSD has in stock."

CDM School of Design offers an all-year-round intake for Class 2021. Prospective students can submit their applications here.

The institution is situated at Baatsona off the Spintex Road in Accra and their website is www.cdmschoolofdesign.edu.gh.