19 becomes one! Looking back at Ghana’s harmonisation process in vocational education and training

Especially over the past two decades, various reforms have helped lead to the standardisation and unification of the statutory framework for VET in Ghana. The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) was founded in 2006 by dint of the COTVET Act (No. 718) and assigned the remit of developing a strategic vocational education and training policy. The competencies of COTVET were reinforced in 2012 (via Act No. 2195).

A far-reaching reform in the pre-tertiary and tertiary education sector was enacted at the end of 2020, and this also had major repercussions for vocational education and training. Following an 18-month consultation process, parliament approved the move towards a consolidation of the VET system (Education Regulatory Bodies Act, ERBA) and created the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) to act as the central institution for vocational education and training. The essential elements of VET reform encompass the following.

• COTVET’s status was changed from a “Council” to a “Commission” (Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training/CTVET).
• Clarification of the mandate of CTVET/MoE as the competent body for vocational education and training in the country.
• Alignment of the NVTI Institutes (National Vocational Training Institutes) and of NAPBTEX (National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations) under CTVET.
• Expansion of the tasks of CTVET (e.g. VET reporting).

The Education Regulatory Bodies Act replaced both the COTVET Act of 2006 and the NVTI Act of 1970 (Parliament of Ghana 2019).

CTVET has been the central Ghanaian VET authority since this time. In this capacity, it is responsible for the governance, further development and monitoring of the country’s vocational education and training system as well as being in charge of informal VET. Its role further includes the development and implementation of strategies for the ongoing extension and improvement of the vocational education and training system. In addition, CTVET is responsible for the development of standards and curricula (school-based and practical parts). It organises and monitors the VET examination system at the same time.

The Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations (MELR) was previously an important stakeholder in the vocational education and training system alongside COTVET and the Ministry of Education and had around 100 training centres at its disposal. 35 of these were National Vocational Training Institutes (NVTI). The NVTIs were both VET providers and examination and certification bodies. Within the scope of external examinations, they were also responsible for informal apprentice training. The NVTIs were amongst the oldest VET institutions in the country to enjoy recognition from trade and industry. The NVTI Act of 1970 (cf. also International Labor Organization 2020) formed the legal framework for the NVTIs.

The Pre-tertiary Education Act (Act No. 1049) of 2021 followed up on the ERBA by establishing the TVET Service. The latter’s tasks include the administration, oversight and implementation of the approved national policies and programmes for vocational education and training (pre-tertiary). The TVET Service governs all 238 public VET institutions, some of which were previously subject to the control of other ministries.

Despite the comprehensive educational reform that took place at the end of 2020, the VET system still appears fragmented at present. Not all vocational schools of other ministries have yet been operationally integrated under the auspices of the MoE, and some continue to use old logos, names and training programmes. CTVET has been responsible for overall governance in the VET system since the end of 2020. Nevertheless, it believes that its mandate has been hindered due to fragmentation of the landscape. CTVET has very limited financial means and employs only just under 200 staff. The TVET Service faces similar challenges. Although all public VET institutions are formally under its authority, not all provision, processes and structures have been unified thus far. The TVET Service has around 300 employees at its head office, and regional structures are still being established.

It is therefore possible to conclude that, despite the reforms of 2020 and 2021, which created significant impetuses for the standardisation of the VET system, not all steps have yet been executed. There are still institutes which are not accredited by CTVET, which offer their own training programme and which in some instances continue with old structures.

Nevertheless, we should highlight the endeavours being undertaken by the two new organisations, the TVET Service and CTVET, to steer the challenging situation with the few resources available to them and to improve the system gradually.

Both the TVET Service and CTVET collaborate closely with international and German organisations. The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) is conducting various projects at a local level on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Organisations such as sequa und Don Bosco are active too. Vocational education and training is also an important topic for the Delegation of German Commerce and Industry in Ghana (AHK). The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) concluded a bilateral cooperation agreement with the Ghanaian Ministry of Education in 2019, and GOVET has been advising CTVET on VET reporting since this time.