COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING: QUALITY DELIVERY FOR TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) INSTITUTIONS

This paper examines the Competency Based Training concept as a mode of delivery in skills development and highlights some of the challenges of implementing CBT. It also justifies why CBT is the way to go for TVET Institutions. As part of the new educational reform, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system in Ghana has undergone a fine tuning in order to make it a credible alternative to general education. This new reform introduces the Competency Based Training (CBT) concept as a mode of delivery of TVET in Ghana. The CBT programme is an exciting new outcome based qualification which has been developed in partnership with leading employers. This mode of delivery is providing the kind of workers industry demands and also is preparing individuals for self employment. The introduction of the CBT in the TVET reform will therefore engage must youth of the country in well structured skills development and workplace experience to ensure employment opportunities and industry led skills development. The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) was therefore established by an Act of Parliament in 2006 to coordinate and oversee all aspects of technical and vocational education and training in Ghana and implement Ghana’s TVET Reform through the Competency Based Training (CBT) system. The establishment of the Council has in effect brought about a paradigm shift in the TVET sector. In 2009, with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), COTVET piloted the CBT system in some selected technical institutions at three levels of the 9-Level National TVET Qualification Framework. These levels were: Level 3 (Certificate 1) Electronics at National Vocational Training Institute; Level 4 (Certificate 2) Welding at Accra Technical Training Centre, and Level 6 (Higher National Diploma (HND) Plant Engineering at Accra Polytechnic.