The Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dual Vocational Education Consulting FZCO, Dubai, to strengthen Ghana’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system through industry-led skills development and the integration of emerging technologies.
The MoU was signed following an engagement between the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, and Prof. Dr Rolf J. Eichhorn, Founder of Dual Vocational Education Consulting FZCO.
Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, the Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment, Dr Abdul-Rashid Hassan Pelpuo, emphasised that closing Ghana’s skills gap was necessary to address youth unemployment and support economic transformation.
“Our challenge is the transition from learning to work. If we continue to train young people without strong industry links, we risk producing skills that are not relevant to the labour market. This partnership is about ensuring that skills development leads directly to decent jobs,” he said.
He noted that, with hundreds of thousands of young people entering the labour market each year, the country must urgently align education and training with industry’s real needs.
According to the Minister, the government alone cannot determine the competencies required in fast-changing sectors. He stressed the importance of private sector participation in skills training, noting that industry must be a central partner in curriculum design, workplace learning, and assessment.
On his part, the founder of Dual Vocational Education Consulting FZCO, Prof. Dr Eichhorn, explained that, drawing on his experience with Germany’s dual vocational education system and similar reforms in the United Arab Emirates, companies such as BMW and other international firms actively identify their skills needs, prompting education systems to update curricula continuously.
He noted that education must be proactive rather than reactive, particularly as industries transition towards electric mobility, automation, and Digitalisation.
Both parties agreed that while international best practices offer valuable lessons, vocational education models must be adapted to local contexts. The MoU, therefore, focused on engaging Ghanaian industries directly to co-develop curricula that reflect local industrial conditions while meeting internationally recognised quality standards.
Priscilla Osei-Wusu Nimako, ISD
