The Network for Sustainable Poverty Alleviation Ghana (NESPAG) and the Tamale Polytechnic has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote technical education in Ghana.

The mutual corporation between the two will attempt addressing some of the major difficulties polytechnics face in the discharge of their core responsibility of providing quality and practical technical education to the citizenry.

The objectives of this collaboration is to help remove the erroneous perception about technical education in Ghana, establish and strengthen institutional collaboration between Tamale Polytechnic and key actors in the industry. It also aims to reduce unemployment by encouraging entrepreneurship and also help in minimizing some of the difficulties faced by the Industrial Art Department of the polytechnic.

The Secretary of NESPAG, Mr. Adam Samed said the MOU is a three-year agreement with the Polytechnic, which will end on December 31, 2019, but however will be renewed yearly depending on the satisfaction of both partners.

He said, as part of the agreement, NESPAG will organize seminars and workshops for students on the relevance of technical education and its related areas for at least two seminars per semester.

Also, NESPAG will organize symposia for students to help expose their unique talents to the outside world and arrange for students to undergo Industrial Skills Training which helps with practical field knowledge.

Mr. Samed noted that the organization will provide financial support to students with unique talents in the creative art to start businesses on their own, adding that, NESPAG will directly support the Industrial Art Department of Tamale Polytechnic.

He said the MOU is in three areas: Publicity, Skill Training and Financial Package, saying there is a need to diffuse the perceptions of people technical and vocation skill training and provide the necessary impetus for students to acquire skills training for the job market. 

“We have visited several second cycle institutions to educate about the importance of technical and skills training and it is already going down well with students” he disclosed.

The Tamale Polytechnic in the agreement will provide the needed qualified teaching staff that will make the programme succeed and provide a conducive learning environment in terms of space, classrooms, furniture and study equipment. Also, the Polytechnic will again provide consultancy services in technical, vocational, institutional, and academic needs and jointly source for funding to sustain the Technical Collaboration.

The MOU signed by the rector of the Tamale Polytechnic, Dr. Abdulai Asuro said, the NESPAG program will further enhance the quality of technical and vocational training courses in the institution.

The head of Industrial Art Department of Tamale Polytechnic, Mr. Baba Albani said, technical and vocational training is the way forward if the country wants to industrialize.

He said the collaboration with NESPAG especially in the area of publicity and sensitization will help clear the perceptions about technical and vocational skills training.