Conversion of Polytechnics to Technical Universities in Ghana; The Way Forward for Mechanical Engineering Students

No nation can grow, economically or socially, without significant and sustained investments in the knowledge and skills of its people [1]. Ghana being in deep crisis for the last few years requires a new generation of engineers appropriately skilled to enforce and support the expected growth. Mechanical engineering field is one of the basic and crucial sectors and should be equipped with the proper manpower. Therefore, the association between mechanical graduate studies and industrial practical training will be the key to providing the higher-level skills that are required for economic recovery and long-term prosperity, but Industrial practical training of mechanical Engineering students in the Polytechnics (now Technical Universities) in Ghana is facing many challenges. The problems ranging from obsolete and inadequate training equipment and tools, lack of training materials, inadequate number of qualified instructors with requisite industrial practical experience, lack of linkage between training institutions and industry and lack of relevance of institutional training to the needs of industry. The main aim of this study is to establish whether the industrial practical training of mechanical engineering students during their studies helps them to gain several professional skills that are required for economic recovery. To reach conclusions regarding these critical issues, a survey was conducted through questionnaires distributed to students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Southern Technical Universities in Ghana. Students were asked to analysed the contribution of the industrial practical training exercise during their studies to their professional abilities. In this paper, these challenges confronting industrial practical training of mechanical engineering students are discussed with the aim of recommending ways of addressing them in the Technical Universities.