Funding Opportunity Title:
|
Project to Reduce Child Labor and
Improve Working Conditions in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
A child or
children are minors under the age of 18 years.
Child labor
includes those children (minors under age 18) working in the worst forms of
child labor (WFCL) as outlined in International Labor Organization (ILO)
Convention 182 and children engaged in work that is exploitative and/or
interferes with their ability to participate in and complete required years of
schooling, in line with ILO Convention 138. ILO Convention 182.
(1)All
forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and
trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labor,
including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed
conflict;
(2)The
use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, the production of
pornography or for pornographic performances;
(3)The
use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for
the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant
international treaties; and
(4)Work
which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely
to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
The Root Causes Of Child Labor and Forced Labor.
A significant
number of countries from which manufactured products are increasingly
sourced—or where major agricultural commodities are grown—have deeply
entrenched social, economic and societal challenges that perpetuate child labor
and forced labor.
Poverty
Based on 2005 estimates from the World Bank, 1.4 billion people in the developing world live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.25 a day. During the global economic crisis, lack of adult employment with decent wages further exacerbated global poverty. Poverty carries vulnerabilities beyond low income. Individuals who are poor lack mechanisms to cope with economic shocks, and suffer disproportionately from poor health, hunger and inadequate access to education and services. As such, they may be more willing to assume risk to avail themselves of economic opportunities, making them more vulnerable to labor exploitation. This is particularly true for migrant workers, who may be at the mercy of recruiters and receiving employers.
Based on 2005 estimates from the World Bank, 1.4 billion people in the developing world live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $1.25 a day. During the global economic crisis, lack of adult employment with decent wages further exacerbated global poverty. Poverty carries vulnerabilities beyond low income. Individuals who are poor lack mechanisms to cope with economic shocks, and suffer disproportionately from poor health, hunger and inadequate access to education and services. As such, they may be more willing to assume risk to avail themselves of economic opportunities, making them more vulnerable to labor exploitation. This is particularly true for migrant workers, who may be at the mercy of recruiters and receiving employers.
Ineffective or inadequate government
resources
Many governments have not enacted strong laws against labor abuse; others may have adequate laws but do not enforce them effectively, or may struggle with inadequate revenues to address social problems. In some countries, government corruption, sometimes with corporate complicity, and weak rule of law allow abusive practices to occur in worksites and go unpunished. Many governments lack effective social protections for their citizens, leaving workers who may be abused without alternative livelihoods or support services.
Many governments have not enacted strong laws against labor abuse; others may have adequate laws but do not enforce them effectively, or may struggle with inadequate revenues to address social problems. In some countries, government corruption, sometimes with corporate complicity, and weak rule of law allow abusive practices to occur in worksites and go unpunished. Many governments lack effective social protections for their citizens, leaving workers who may be abused without alternative livelihoods or support services.
Lack of access to quality
education
In many countries, citizens continue to face barriers to adequate education. Lack of access may be driven by many factors, including the absence of free public education; requirements to pay for books, uniforms and other necessities that prevent poor children from enrolling; an inadequate education infrastructure; or poor quality instruction. Children who have limited or nonexistent educational opportunities are more likely to enter the workforce. Individuals who are denied educational opportunities in childhood face more restricted employment opportunities as adults and are, therefore, more vulnerable to exploitation.
In many countries, citizens continue to face barriers to adequate education. Lack of access may be driven by many factors, including the absence of free public education; requirements to pay for books, uniforms and other necessities that prevent poor children from enrolling; an inadequate education infrastructure; or poor quality instruction. Children who have limited or nonexistent educational opportunities are more likely to enter the workforce. Individuals who are denied educational opportunities in childhood face more restricted employment opportunities as adults and are, therefore, more vulnerable to exploitation.
Weak or nonexistent trade unions and
other civil society groups
In many countries, trade unions, as well as human rights and other civil society groups, are suppressed by the government, sometimes with the support of employers. In some cases, unions exist but have direct links to the government. An absence of effective, independent trade unions hampers collective bargaining and thus workers’ ability to effectively advocate for their rights, including fair compensation and safe working conditions.
In many countries, trade unions, as well as human rights and other civil society groups, are suppressed by the government, sometimes with the support of employers. In some cases, unions exist but have direct links to the government. An absence of effective, independent trade unions hampers collective bargaining and thus workers’ ability to effectively advocate for their rights, including fair compensation and safe working conditions.
Gender inequality
In many countries, women face additional risks of labor exploitation, including child labor and forced labor. For example, women are often less educated than men of the same socio-economic and cultural background, and social factors may restrict their capacity to communicate with authority figures. These types of inequalities can make women less capable of speaking up to defend their rights as workers.
In many countries, women face additional risks of labor exploitation, including child labor and forced labor. For example, women are often less educated than men of the same socio-economic and cultural background, and social factors may restrict their capacity to communicate with authority figures. These types of inequalities can make women less capable of speaking up to defend their rights as workers.
Conflict
According to World Bank statistics, more than 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by violent conflict. Countries plagued by cycles of violence also experience 20 percent higher poverty rates. Conflict is a push factor for migration, as workers are often forced to leave home to seek opportunity due to physical and economic devastation, as well as insecurity.
According to World Bank statistics, more than 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by violent conflict. Countries plagued by cycles of violence also experience 20 percent higher poverty rates. Conflict is a push factor for migration, as workers are often forced to leave home to seek opportunity due to physical and economic devastation, as well as insecurity.
Natural disaster and extreme weather
Natural disasters and extreme weather, including drought and flooding, are also push factors for migration. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that in 2010 alone, approximately 42 million people worldwide were displaced by natural disaster, with several parts of Asia especially affected by high numbers of displaced persons.
Natural disasters and extreme weather, including drought and flooding, are also push factors for migration. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that in 2010 alone, approximately 42 million people worldwide were displaced by natural disaster, with several parts of Asia especially affected by high numbers of displaced persons.
Lack of awareness about human rights
In many countries, workers may not have access to information enabling them to understand what constitutes child labor, forced labor or other labor abuses. Lack of awareness about good labor practices and workers’ rights can be compounded by language barriers, particularly where multiple languages are spoken by workers within a facility. This heightens individuals’ vulnerability to exploitative labor and hinders their capacity to organize and advocate for themselves.
In many countries, workers may not have access to information enabling them to understand what constitutes child labor, forced labor or other labor abuses. Lack of awareness about good labor practices and workers’ rights can be compounded by language barriers, particularly where multiple languages are spoken by workers within a facility. This heightens individuals’ vulnerability to exploitative labor and hinders their capacity to organize and advocate for themselves.
Global competition
Even companies with the best intentions face constraints in administering an effective social compliance program. For example, tight margins may tempt suppliers to evade social compliance requirements. Managing a social compliance program effectively requires continuous examination of your own actions and a system for regularly communicating messages to your supply chain.
Even companies with the best intentions face constraints in administering an effective social compliance program. For example, tight margins may tempt suppliers to evade social compliance requirements. Managing a social compliance program effectively requires continuous examination of your own actions and a system for regularly communicating messages to your supply chain.
Precarious work and lack of access to
social protection
In today’s economy, employment relationships are increasingly fragmented, with more distant relationships between companies and the hiring, management and firing decisions made in their supply chains. As more workers shift from the formal to the informal economy and from permanent to temporary and contract work, not only do they receive fewer employer-provided benefits such as healthcare and pensions, and fewer government supports, such as unemployment insurance and social security, but they are likely to be more vulnerable to abuse.
In today’s economy, employment relationships are increasingly fragmented, with more distant relationships between companies and the hiring, management and firing decisions made in their supply chains. As more workers shift from the formal to the informal economy and from permanent to temporary and contract work, not only do they receive fewer employer-provided benefits such as healthcare and pensions, and fewer government supports, such as unemployment insurance and social security, but they are likely to be more vulnerable to abuse.
Migration systems
As discussed throughout this toolkit, migrant workers are likely to be more vulnerable to abuse; frequently, they are denied freedom of association and the right to collectively
As discussed throughout this toolkit, migrant workers are likely to be more vulnerable to abuse; frequently, they are denied freedom of association and the right to collectively
Bargain and
do not have whistle blowing attitude.
Drivers of Child
Labor:
Children
enter the labor force due to both supply factors and industry demand for cheap,
unskilled labor, among other factors. Poverty is the most salient source of
pressure leading to the supply of child labor. Production processes that
require an abundance of unskilled labor or that require certain physical
attributes—small stature, agility and so on—can also create demand for child
labor. In addition, price pressures encourage suppliers, especially at points
upstream in the supply chain, to find the cheapest labor. Children may be the
only workers willing to work for these wages, or adults may find that these
wage levels do not allow them to meet basic needs and they must put their
children to work to supplement family income. These fundamental supply and
demand factors are often reinforced by factors such as a lack of adequate
access to education, inadequate employment potential for those who do receive
education, exclusionary social attitudes based on caste or ethnicity, gender
and cultural attitudes about work and education.
Child Labor Estimates:
The ILO
estimates that in 2008, there were 215 million child laborers worldwide. This
figure represents a three percent decrease from 2004 and 12 percent decrease
from 2000. Global child labor statistics are not yet available from 2009
onward, but preliminary studies from the ILO indicate that the combination of a
global rise in unemployment, falling income and expanding informal economies
has left children more vulnerable to labor exploitation. It is likely that the
next ILO survey, to be published in 2014, may show less progress than in previous
periods.
It’s based
on this Root Causes Of Child Labor and Forced Labor
in Africa, especially in Ghana Cocoa Farms that African Development and
Planning Centre is putting up this INITIATIVE. For The Reduction of Child’s Labor in
Cocoa Farms In Ghana and Implementing a Youths Training and Development
Schemes/ Programs for them with the…
Funding Opportunity Title:
|
Project to Mobilize
Community Action and Youth Employment (MOCA-Youth Project) in Ghana’s Cocoa
Growing Communities
PROJECT INITIATIVE:-
Building “FIVE MEGA COMMUNITY SKILL AQUISITION
CENTERS” for Youth Development and Skill Acquisition towards the Reduction of
Child Labor in Ghana and
the Implementation of this Developmental Programs for Skills Acquisition
through Capacity Building towards Jobs Creation for them and Improve Working Conditions in Artisanal and
Small-Scale Gold Mining.
The Project will be piloted in Eight
Regions of Ghana namely: Volta, Northern, Greater Accra, Western, Central, Ashanti,
Central and Brong-Ahafo Regions.
The Location of the “FIVE MEGA
COMMUNITY SKILL AQUISITION CENTERS”:
The Skill Acquisition Centers will be built at the Located Regions,
namely:
1. Greater Accra Region,
2. Western Region,
3. Ashanti Region,
4. Brong-Ahafo Region,
5. Northern Region.
Access of Africa’s
Youth to the World of Work
Ghana’s economic growth performance has been easily one of
the better known in sub-Saharan Africa over the last three decades. The good
growth performance has, however, not been reflected in the generation of
productive, decent, and sustainable employment. It is estimated that the
employment elasticity of output dropped from an average of 0.64 in 1992-2000 to
0.52 and 0.4 in 2001-04 and 2005-08, respectively.
Total labor force in Ghana comprises of people who meet the
International Labor Organization (ILO) definition of the economically active
population: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and
services during a specified period. It includes both the employed and the
unemployed.
The ILO refers to youth unemployment as the share of the
labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. The
2010 Population and Housing Census indicated that of the total population of
15,308,425 aged 15 years and older, 71.5 percent is economically active
(employed and unemployed) while the economically inactive population (not
employed, not seeking nor available for work) constitutes 28.5 percent. Of the
economically active population, 94.2 percent are employed while the unemployed
(that is, those without work but are seeking and available for work) make up
5.8 percent. Of those who are unemployed, majority (83.8%) of them are first
time job seekers.
Ghana’s population has a youthful structure with the youth
in this case aged 15 –24 years constituting about one out of every four of the
population between 1960 and 1984 and one out of five of the population between
2000 and 20102 . Over the past fifty years, the number of the youth in the
total population of Ghana has increased from 1.1 million in 1960 to 3.5 million
in 2000 and 4.93 million in 20103 . The latter constitutes about 22.6 percent
of the economically active population. According to the Ministry of Employment
and Labor Relations some of the causes of youth unemployment in Ghana include
the following:-
·
The introduction of the Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS)
systems without adequate planning for integration into the trades/vocations and
job placement;
·
Education and training that have no link to the skills and competencies needed
in the important sectors of the economy;
Youth unemployment rate is established to be an urban
phenomenon particularly among the youth. The unemployment rate (based on the
ILO definition) among the youth aged 15-24 is about six times higher in Accra,
the national capital, and at least three times higher in other urban areas than
in rural areas. Similarly, the rate among the youth aged 25-35 years is found
to be more than eight times higher in Accra and seven times higher in urban
areas than in rural areas.
OUR PLANS AS A
“NGO”:-
As part of our Plan as a Non Governmental Organization will shall be putting Efforts to involve the
school-to-work transition of youth employment,
the program will be starting as
from September 2015 to September 2019 that will give opportunities for
graduates from Junior High School (JHS) who could not get access to Senior High
School (SHS) either to get employable skills in specific trade areas of their
choices or continue their professional progression within the TVET
Qualification Framework under the Ghana’s Council for TVET. This Non Governmental
Organization will be working in Partnership with COTVET in implementing this
Project initiative to improve the quality of the traditional apprenticeship
system in selected trades through capacity building.
Who are COTVET?
Council for Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (COTVET) is a national body set up by an Act of
Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to co-ordinate and oversees all aspects of
technical and vocational education and training in the country. Their major
objective is to formulate policies for skills development across the broad
spectrum of pre-tertiary and tertiary education, formal, informal and
non-formal sectors.
Who
have established Ghana's Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
system to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the skilled workforce
and to raise the income generating capacities of people, especially women and
low income groups through provision of quality-oriented, industry-focused and
competency-based training programmes and complementary services.
This project will be linking the informal sector to training
institutes and other providers who are being supported to offer complementary
needs-based training to Master Craftsperson’s and apprentices.
Our initiatives will include the National Youth Employment
Program, Rural Enterprises Project, Local Enterprises and Skills Development Program.
PROJECT INITIATIVE:-
Building “FIVE MEGA
COMMUNITY SKILL AQUISITION CENTERS” for Youth Development and Skill Acquisition
towards the Reduction of Child’s Labor in Cocoa Farms in Ghana
and the Implementation of this Development
Programs, Skills Acquisition capacity towards
Jobs Creation for them.
PURPOSE OF THE
PROJECT:-
The project will be linking the informal sector to training
Institutes and other Providers that are being supported to offer complementary
needs-based training to Master Craftshippersons and Apprenticeship.
While we’ll bring other initiatives that include:-
-The National Youth Employment Program,
-Rural Enterprises Project,
-Local Enterprises and Skills Acquisition and Development Program.
Challenges Faced by Youth in Finding Employment in
Ghana:-
Young people in Ghana face a number of challenges in their
pursuit for employment. The high unemployment and inactivity rate of young people
emanates from a number of factors, some of which are enumerated below:-
·Firstly,
young people often face labor demand barriers such as observed discrimination
due largely to limited or no job experience and insufficient exposure to a
working environment.
·Secondly,
they also lack job search experience to facilitate their job acquisition. In
times of an economic downturn, lack of work experience combined with a lack of
social capital puts the youth at a disadvantage for new job opportunities
(UNECA, 2005). In times of economic downturn when employers face the challenge
of executing layoff policies, the adoption of last-in-first-out strategy of
layoff disproportionately affects the youth.
·Thirdly,
there is lack of proper functioning employment and placement centers,
compelling the youth to resort to job search through friends and family
members, which are clearly less effective. · Fourthly, information
gaps between potential employers and jobseekers and limited information about
the creation and development of businesses, especially in gaining access to
financial, physical and social capital, continue to pose a barrier to the youth
in gaining access to employment.
·
Furthermore, the emphasis on examination as the main tool for assessing
students and trainees coupled with reverence for certificates rather than
ability to deliver on the job has the effect of undermining the ability of the
educated youth to cope with the changing demands in the labor market. ·In
addition, in situation in which job openings are created, skill mismatch (both
soft and hard skills) between young jobseekers and skill requirements of
available jobs makes it difficult for them to secure employment.
Causes of Youth Unemployment in Ghana:-
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations
the causes of youth unemployment in Ghana include the following:-
·The
introduction of the Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS)
systems without adequate planning for integration into the trades/vocations and
job placement;
·Education
and training that have no link to the skills and competencies needed in the
important sectors of the economy;
·The
near collapse of Ghana’s industrial base due to ineffective management of the
divestiture process which resulted in the closure of many factories without a
structural transformation of the economy to generate alternative jobs for
people;
·The
shrinking of public sector employment opportunities coupled with a relatively
slow growth of the private sector; and
·The
lack of a coherent national employment policy and comprehensive strategy to
deal with the employment problem.
Youth Unemployment Phenomenon:-
Youth unemployment rate is established to be an urban
phenomenon particularly among the youth. The reason is that the youth are often
attracted to the cities in search for non-existing jobs, as they find rural
life unattractive largely due to the lower earnings of agriculture, which is
the main economic activity in the rural areas. It is on record that on
rural--urban and sex disparity in youth unemployment in 2005-06, the
unemployment rate (based on the ILO definition) among the youth aged 15-24 is
about six times higher in Accra, the national capital, and at least three times
higher in other urban areas than in rural areas. Similarly, the rate among the
youth aged 25- 35 years is found to be more than eight times higher in Accra
and seven times higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Youth unemployment
rates based on a broader definition and NEET follow the same pattern. With the
increasing urbanization and limited job opportunities in the cities and big
towns, urban unemployment rate among the youth is likely to escalate. On the
other hand, the very low rural youth unemployment rate relative to the rate in
the urban areas is explained by the dominance of Agriculture Activities (such
as Cocoa Plantation Farms) in rural areas which is characterized by low
earnings but tends to keep many youth away from unemployment.
A highly significant experience involving the
school-to-work
transition or youth employment:-
As part of the process to make education and skills
development responsive to the economic and social agenda of the Government of
Ghana, an Education Reform Committee will be set up and established by African
Development and Planning Centre {called the ADPC Apprenticeship Committee
(ADPCAC)} with the purpose of reviewing the entire educational system in the
country to make it more responsive to current challenges.
Specifically, the Committee will be required to examine the structure
of education and to discuss issues affecting the development and delivery of
education, the constrained access to different levels of the educational
ladder, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Distance Education,
professional development and the management and financing of education, in
addition to other cross-cutting issues concerning the sector.
The Committee will be required to make Recommendation
towards the National Education Reform Committee on Apprenticeship in Ghana.
The large number of the youth who drop out of Primary, and
JSS school-line, and are thereafter left to their own devices about their
fortunes in the world of work, and has become a source of worry to Non Government
Organization like us. It reinforces our conviction about the urgent need to
restructure the current officially disengaged attitude towards their subsequent
participation in the world of work generally and their adult/family life.
Apprenticeship to acquire proficiency in the numerous areas of skill, industry
and craftsmanship is today dominated by the Private Sector. Henceforth, it will
become a commitment of this NGO to partner with the private sector in a more
systematic way to promote apprenticeship programmes.
This NGO and it’s
“5 - Mega Skill Acquisition Centers” will assume full responsibility for the first
year of the Apprenticeship Programmes to accepts the recommendations of the Committee
to: -
·Constitute
a National Apprentice Training Board, among other things, to oversee and
regulate apprentice training and handle issues concerning registration,
content, duration and certification;
·Formalize
community-based apprentice training schemes in all Districts in the Eight Regions
stated in this Project to cater for the youth.
·
Support institutions such as the Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs)
and Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Service (GRATIS),
Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills (ICCES), Opportunities Industrialization
Centers (OIC), Youth Leadership Institutes, the Private Sector and other
organizations to increase capacity and expand their coverage and enrolment of
apprentices.
The financial commitments
in the NGO will be geared towards general vocational and technical institutions
and be matched by commitments to industry-based apprenticeship and training.
Objective of this Apprenticeship Program as set-up by
this NGO:-
The objective of the Program is to give opportunities for
graduates from Junior High School (JHS) who could not get access to Senior High
School (SHS) either to get employable skills in specific trade areas of their
choices or continue their professional progression within the TVET
Qualification Framework.
Target specifically:
The program is targeted at graduates from JHS who could not
get access to SHS either through access or final limitation on the part of
their parents and/or guardians to undergo a one year traditional apprenticeship
in the preferred trade area. These potential apprentices needed the consent of
their parents or guardians.
Funding for the
Program
As per the
recommendations of the Government White Paper on Education Reform in 2004, the
cost of training for the one year period will be borne by this NGO. We want the
program to be fully funded by “The Bureau of the International Labor Affair” of
the United States of America Agency.
The funding consists of 10 Vocational Training Courses:
·
Cost of equipment and materials needed for the training
·
Payment of monthly training fees to the master craftsperson It must be
indicated that the equipment used by the apprentices during the training are
given to them on completion of their training and graduation to start their own
enterprises.
The process to
achieve this objective consists of:
·
Selection of trade areas
·
Identifying of master craftsperson in the trade area who can train not less
five apprentices
·
Training of the master craftsperson in Competency Based Training Delivery and
upgrading their pedagogical skills
·
Bringing the program to the public domain
·
Potential applicants filling application forms
·
Interviewing and selecting beneficiaries
·
Beneficiaries undergoing the training
·
Monitoring and reporting on progress Issues Related to the National
Apprenticeship Program With this objective in mind, the ADPC Apprenticeship
Committee (ADPCAC) will organized a forum to discuss the implementation of the
Program. Issues that will be discussed includes:
·
Enrolment trends in Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) and
transition from JHS to SHS
·
Pathway and roadmap to formal/self employment
·
Profile of the early leavers (literacy and numeracy levels)
·
Potential skills/trade areas for the skills development for the early leavers
·
Training Delivery mechanism:
- Traditional
Apprenticeship (informal sector training)
-Unit specification
and occupational standards generation for trade areas
-Training providers (private
formal institutes)
- Facilitator
training
- Phases of training
and duration
·
Assessment and Certification
·
Linking the training to self/formal employment
·
Partners for implementation:- Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs),
National Youth Employment Program (NYEP), Local Trade Associations ( LTAs)
·
Monitoring and Evaluation and follow up
·
Budget and Financing
Academic Progression From JHS To Tertiary Level Education
According the Educational Management Information System (EMIS) of the Ministry
of Education (MOE), it is noted that on the average, 55% of graduates from JHS
are unable to enter into SHS every year due primarily to lack of access. One
other factor that contributes to graduate from the JHS not entering into the
SHS is financial constraint on the part of parents/guardians, It must be
mentioned that out of the 55% of the graduates who are unable to enter SHS, only
12% continue to formal Skill Training institutions, with about 10% going to
private and informal traditional apprenticeship. Majority of this group (33%)
are “Not Employed, Not in Education and Not in Training” (NEET).
The Program therefore targets this particularly group to
give them employable skills or to continue with their professional progression.
The ADPC Apprenticeship Committee (ADPCAC) formed, will at
every level to implement the program.
The committee consist of a representative from the District
Education Office, the District Assembly and Trade Association to be headed by
The Project Director of ADPC. The responsibilities of the Committees were to:
·
Bring the program to the public domain
·
Help potential beneficiaries fill the application form
·
Screen the application forms
·
Conduct interviews to select the beneficiaries
·
Place them with the appropriate master craftsperson
·
Monitor their training and report on progress.
The initiative will be
announced through local radio and newspapers.
Task forces will be formed in the various districts
comprising of representatives from the District Education Offices, which will
includes those who enrolled in JHS but could not finish and those who finished
JHS but did not get access to SHS, 12 Assembly and the specific trade area. The
task force will also visit all the various religious bodies to inform them
about this initiative.
For the first phase of the program, the ADPC Apprenticeship
Committee (ADPCAC) in consultation with the National Development Planning
Commission and the various trade associations, will agreed on this Trade Areas and
Vocational Training Courses for implementation.
These Courses are:
·
Auto mechanics
Electronics
·
Welding & Metal Fabrication
·
Aluminium Fabrication
Screen/Transfer Printing Technology
Screen/Transfer Printing Technology
·
Bead Stringing & Hat Making
Catering & Hotel Management
·
Vulcanizing/Wheel Balancing & Alignment
Tile Laying/Pave Lock Making
·
Computer Studies
Textile Design
Fashion Design & Dress Making
Hair Dressing/Barbing & Cosmetology
·
Wood & Furniture Making
Production of Stove, Thread & Insecticide
·
Refrigerator & Air Condition Maintenance/Repair 
Photography
Photography
In preparation for the training of the apprentices and in line
with the adoption of competency based in training delivery in Ghana, selected
master craft persons underwent a two week training program to equip them for
the training of the apprentices.
TYPES Of Master Craft Persons And Trainer
Auto mechanics
Electronics
·
Welding & Fabrication
·
Shoe & Leather works
·
Aluminium Fabrication
·
Screen/Transfer Printing Technology
·
Bead Stringing & Hat Making
·
Tile Laying/Pave Lock Making
·
Catering
& Hotel Management
·
Vulcanizing/Wheel Balancing & Alignment
·
Computer Studies
·
Textile Design
·
Fashion Design & Dress Making
·
Welding & Metal Fabrication
·
Hair Dressing/Barbing & Cosmetology
·
Wood & Furniture Making
·
Production of Stove, Thread & Insecticide
·
Refrigerator & Air Condition
Maintenance/Repair
·
Photography
Topics treated
during the training program includes:-
Health and safety, appropriate tools, choice of materials,
Competency Based Training (CBT) delivery and specific technical subjects
relevant to the trade area. The task force will then conducts interviews after
the applicants had submit the filled forms. The interviews will be based mainly
on applicant’s interest in the chosen trade area, parental concern and
proximity to the training site.
At the end of the interview, 5,000 applicants will be chosen to start the first phase of the ADPC
TRADE AREA & VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES & PROGRAMMES.
To be able to succeed Through our Training Programmes at our
Skill Acquisition Centers along with our Partners Centers,:-
The graduates have to demonstrate a broad knowledge base
incorporating some technical concepts, demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical
basis of practical skills and also demonstrate basic numeracy, literacy and IT
skills. As a result, occupational standards, unit specifications and learning
materials are developed specifically for this training.
Evaluation of the
Training Programmes:-
This NGO will signed a Memorandum of Partnership with
Innovations for Poverty Actions (IPA), a United States based non-profit
organization that specializes in creating, evaluating, and replicating
innovative solutions to development problems, for IPA to undertake an
independent evaluation of the program with its impact and to disseminate the
findings. The results would be ready for dissemination towards the latter part
of the year 2016.
The Potential Candidates that will be expected to Scale Up
in the Program will be about 150,000 graduates annually from JHS who cannot
continue to SHS. This program is targeted at this group and having successfully
implemented the maiden one for 5000 graduates in the year 2016/17, will then gives the country the opportunity to scale it
up and also cover more Regions. Lessons learnt from this phase will help
improve the implementation of the program and also speed it up to cover more
graduates who come out of the JHS system. The second phase of the program will be
launched in October 2018 to End in October 2019 to cover for 7500 graduates.
Challenges:-
The program as innovative as it may be faced a number of
challenges during implementation.
These included:
·
Lack of awareness of the program to the target group in the rural areas.
· The
program is targeted to JHS graduates who could not get access to SHS, however
it did not state when the person graduated, as a result people who graduated
from JHS about 10 years ago may also applied.
·
The duration of the program seems too short as most apprenticeships take an
average period of three years but this is for a one year period
. · Oversubscribing of some trade areas (cosmetology,
garment making).
· Proximity
of training places to where the apprentices live
·
Identification of committed master craft persons to undergo training for the
program implementation · Lack of commitment from the District Assembly
authorities and the District Education offices may also occur.
This NGO Partnership Plans with the COTVET Implemented
Measures:-
Reforms in Progress
to Modernize Existing Training System:-
Establishment of the Council for Technical and Vocational
Education and Training(COTVET) Following the recommendations of the 2002
Anamuah-Mensah report (Report of Group of Experts set up by Government to
review the Education Sector in Ghana) and the 2004 White Paper, in 2006 the
government set up a committee to facilitate the establishment of a new Council
for TVET (COTVET). On 27th July that year Parliament passed a Bill to establish
COTVET which led in September to the COTVET ACT (718). The Act mandated COTVET
to reform technical and vocational skills development in the country by
coordinating and overseeing all aspects of technical and vocational education
and training. To achieve its object, the Council is mandated to formulate
national policies for skills development across the broad spectrum of
pre-tertiary and tertiary education, formal informal and non-formal among other
functions to reflect the reforms required. The Council is governed by a fifteen
(15)-member Board appointed by the President in consultation with the Council
of State. Through the Board,five (5) Standing Committees have been established
with specific function to help in the reform process.
These are;
·
Skills Development Fund Committee
·
National Apprenticeship Program Committee
·
National TVET Qualifications Committee
·
Training Quality Assurance Committee
·
Industrial Training Advisory Committee Major stakeholders that have been
involved in the reform are: · Government of Ghana
·
Development Partners
·
Training Providers (formal and Informal)
·
Employers ·
Non Governmental Organizations 15 The Council has since been working on various
policies and strategies to achieve the reform objectives.
These are:
·
Perception improvement in TVSD
·
Sustainable funding for TVSD
·
Policy on Recognition of Prior Learning
·
Facilitator deployment and retraining
·Infrastructure
improvement in the formal institutes
·
Policy on informal/traditional apprenticeship
·
Distance learning in TVSD
·
TVSD management
COTVET Legislative Instrument (LI 2195, 2012) as part of the
reform of the TVET sector in Ghana, the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana
passed a Legislative Instrument (LI 2195) to regulate TVSD delivery on 3rd
September 2012. The LI was gazette on 5th September 2012 and came into force
for implementation on 23rd October 2012. .
The purpose of the LI is to give legal backing to the
reforms and make it enforceable Ghana. The elements of the LI are regulations
and guidelines for:
·
Registration and accreditation of training providers
·
Registration and accreditation of awarding bodies
·
National Qualifications Framework and registration of awards on the
Qualifications Framework
·
Trade associations and professional bodies
·
Registration and accreditation of assessors and internal verifiers
·
Registration and accreditation of facilitators and trainers
·
Accreditation of external verifiers
The LI made provision and gave legal backing for the
establishment of National TVET Qualifications Framework. The framework has
eight levels from Proficiency 1 to Doctor of Technology.
There are three categories within the framework:
The first category which comprises of two levels
(Proficiencies 1 & 2) is dedicated mostly to illiterate artisans who cannot
read and write and operate within the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
policy. The second category which is Certificates 1 & 2) are equivalent to
secondary education on the academic progression of the educational system.
The third category
(Higher National Diploma, Bachelor of Technology, Master of Technology and
Doctor of Technology) are equivalent to tertiary education.
The new qualifications, designed to be certified at eight
levels, take into account the realities of education and training in Ghana, the
structure of the labor force, existing qualification systems, 16 projections
into the future, and what is manageable at the present time. The levels will be
subject to change over time, as is the practice in countries that currently
operate NTVETQF.
Measures will be taken to build the skills of informal
sector entrepreneurs and apprenticeship managers as part of the Partnership Agreement
with relationship between the Government of Ghana (COTVET-GSDI) and this NGO;
the NGO will be funding this program for sustainable development in Ghana
through the “Bureau of Labor & International Affair” Agency of the USA.
One of the components of this program is the Ghana Skills
Development Initiative (GSDI) which is being implemented with COTVET. The GSDI
has been agreed upon between the Ghanaian and this NGO with the aim to build
capacity in the informal sector, which generates about 80-90 % of employment in
Ghana. To that end, this project will seeks to improve the quality of the
traditional apprenticeships in all the selected trades of the economy. While
the traditional system absorbs a large portion of youth and contributes to
improving their livelihoods, this purely in-company training is also
characterized by some structural deficits. This includes, e.g. a lack of
coordination and standardization of the training, as well as difficulties in
coping with technological upgrades and developments. The initiative intends to
improve the quality of the traditional apprenticeship system in selected trades
through capacity building. The project is linking the informal sector to
training institutes and other providers are being supported to offer complementary
needs-based training to Master Craftsperson and apprentices.
The capacity building measures for teachers/instructors of
the training providers are twofold: -
A training on modern teaching approaches and
Competency-Based Training (CBT) - Trade-specific skills upgrading according to
the standards The Project attempts to improve the quality of the Traditional
Apprenticeship in the informal sector. To support the Trade Associations (TA)
and public as well as private Training Providers (TP) in developing and
implementing further training courses for Master Craftsperson (MCPs), their
skilled Workers and Apprentices based on CBT-Standards is one of the core
activities.
Through the project
interventions it is intended to complement and modernize the traditional
apprenticeship system, while maintaining the existing structures. Trade
Associations have a crucial bridging function between the training providers
and the MSMEs. Through their close links to the informal sector, they are in
the position to assess the specific training needs of their members, and to
articulate those needs to training providers. Furthermore, they can contribute
to the development of (CBT) standards for training in both the formal and the
informal sector.
Lastly, Trade Associations are being supported in improving
their own training offer for their members. The implementation concept
considers the multi-level approach, acting in three activity fields:
• Activity Field “Capacity Development of Training
Providers”
• Activity Field “Capacity Development of Trade
Associations”
• Activity Field “Development of enabling Framework
Conditions”
The Project is piloted in eight regions of Ghana, namely: Volta, Northern,
Greater Accra, Western, Central, Ashanti, Central and Brong-Ahafo Regions.
It also focuses on building the capacities of master craftsperson
in all the trade areas & Vocational Course as stipulated above in the
Vocational Course outline.
In summary, this
project will operates on three main intervention levels:
·
Advising COTVET in the field of TVET policy and strategy development as well as
organizational development and the establishment of an M&E system
·
Strengthening Trade Association’s role in TVET, including their involvement in
the development of CBT standards, quality assurance of training, expanding
their services for MSMEs and develop and offer training courses in consultation
with COTVET
·
Supporting public and private Training Providers in developing and implementing
training courses for Master Craftsperson and Apprentices in form of pilot
measures.
The successful implementation of this Project will lead to
scaling up of the Project to cover the other two regions and additional master craftsperson
in selected trade areas.
ACCESSMENT OF THIS
PROJECT:
Based on information from the International Labor
Organization (ILO), outlines the old and new paradigms of TVET that will ensure
that access to employment is one of the priorities of the education and
training system to be implemented by this NGO in Ghana.
CBT Paradigm Shift
Old Paradigm New Paradigm Supply-driven approaches Market-responsive approaches
only Focus is on development of skills, knowledge and attitudes required to
achieve competency standards Learners are assessed after skills are taught
Learners are assessed prior to the teaching of skills to focus on remediation
of skills gaps Training for employment Teaching and Learning for employability
In-service training Concept of continuing/life-long learning Teacher-centered
Student-centered Education and training separated Integrated education and
training Specialization in one skill A search for multi-skilling Skill
recognition based on training period and examination Recognition based on
competency and prior learning (CBT) Rigid and fixed entry and exit Flexible and
multiple entry and exit Focus on formal sector Recognition of need to focus on
both formal and informal sectors Training for wage employment Training for wage
and self-employment Centralized system Decentralized system requiring both
strong 12 HND in Plant Engineering, Certificate 2 in Welding and Fabrication
and Certificate 1 in Electronics 20 Old Paradigm New Paradigm national and
decentralized institutions Policy and delivery dominated by nation/state Policy
and delivery separate, market responsive Curriculum Occupational Standards
Generation, Unit Specifications Writing, Learning Material Development 6.4.2
Workplace Experience Learning The primary goal of TVET is to prepare youth and
adults for gainful employment.
COTVET understands that learning occurs in a variety of
context and is not confined to that occurring in a school. COTVET values these
other formal and informal types of learning as they can help this Project
Candidates/learners develop knowledge, skills and attitudes which facilitate the
transition from school to work. As a paradigm shift from industrial attachment
and as per the TVSD reforms process, COVET has introduced Workplace Experience
Learning which is a recognized program that delivers a significant amount of
learning in a real workplace situation. Workplace Experience Learning is on the
job training during which this Project Candidates/learners is expected to
master a set skills or competencies, related to a particular program as
accredited by COTVET on this Project.
ADPC/COTVET Partnership Team has determined that workplace
experience learning is an appropriate and valuable component of all TVET
program especially this one. It complements the education and training
undertaken at any TVET learning environments and is spread across the duration
of the TVET learners learning period depending on the credit value stated in
the qualification framework. It provides the context for the followings:
·
Enhanced skills development
·
Practical application of industry knowledge
·
Assessment of units competence, as determined by ITAC
·
Increased employment opportunities In with this paradigm shift; COTVET has
prepared a draft policy on Workplace
Experience Learning to make access to employment one of the leading priorities
of education and training.
The policy defines the Goals, Objectives and Benefits of WEL:-
·
Roles and Responsibilities of all major stakeholders
o TVET Provider
o Employer
o Learner
o Parents or
Guardian
·
Procedures and Guidelines
·
Delivering a WEL Program
o Program
Structure
o Learning
o Assessment
o Portfolio building
·
Relevance and Impact
