Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana
Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana

Author: Peter Darvas

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2014-07-03

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1464802815

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Skills development in Ghana encompasses foundational skills, transferable/soft-skills, and technical and vocational skills. This report focuses on one segment of this skills development system: formal and informal technical and vocational education and training (TVET) at the pre-tertiary level. TVET represents a major intersection between education, youth and the labor market. The government has long promised to the population that increasing technical and vocational skills training opportunities will help solve youth unemployment. However, market distortions and inefficiencies have led to an adverse cycle of high costs, inadequate quality of supply and low demand, leading to further pressures on the effectiveness and efficiency of TVET services. This adverse cycle means that the political and policy promise of skills development helping to ease the unemployment problem is at risk of remaining unfulfilled. The report focuses on social and economic demand for (pre-tertiary) technical and vocational skills and maps out the supply of these skills from formal and informal, private and public sectors. The dual purpose has been to both carry out an institutional and policy analysis and also to establish a platform for monitoring sector performance and assisting policy and Development Partner harmonization. The report analyzes the economic and social demand for technical and vocational skills and the suitability of the current supply as well as the effectiveness of policy, coordination and financing of technical and vocational skills development. The report annex provides the summary of economic demand analyses from the key sectors reviewed and provides a full mapping of all technical and vocational programs in Ghana. The study offers a comprehensive set of policy recommendations for improving Ghana’s pre-tertiary technical and vocational skills development sector, which will be of interest to policy makers and development partners in Ghana.

Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana
Demand and Supply of Skills in Ghana

Author: Peter Darvas

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2014-07-10

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1464802807

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The report focuses on formal and informal technical and vocational education and training (TVET) at the pre-tertiary level in Ghana. TVET represents a major intersection between education, youth and the labor market. However, market distortions and inefficiencies led to an adverse cycle of high costs, inadequate quality of supply, and low demand.

Youth Employment Programs in Ghana
Youth Employment Programs in Ghana

Author: Christabel Dadzie

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2020-09-04

Total Pages: 83

ISBN-13: 1464815798

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Unemployment and underemployment are global development challenges. The situation in Ghana is no different. In 2016, it was projected that, given the country’s growing youth population, 300,000 new jobs would need to be created each year to absorb the increasing numbers of unemployed young people. Yet the employment structure of the Ghanaian economy has not changed much from several decades ago. Most jobs are low skill, requiring limited cognitive or technology know-how, reflected in low earnings and work of lower quality. An additional challenge for Ghana is the need to create access to an adequate number of high-quality, productive jobs. This report seeks to increase knowledge about Ghana’s job landscape and youth employment programs to assist policy makers and key stakeholders in identifying ways to improve the effectiveness of these programs and strengthen coordination among major stakeholders. Focused, strategic, short- to medium-term and long-term responses are required to address current unemployment and underemployment challenges. Effective coordination and synergies among youth employment programs are needed to avoid duplication of effort while the country’s economic structure transforms. Effective private sector participation in skills development and employment programs is recommended. The report posits interventions in five priority areas that are not new but could potentially make an impact through scaling up: (1) agriculture and agribusiness, (2) apprenticeship (skills training), (3) entrepreneurship, (4) high-yielding areas (renewable energy†“solar, construction, tourism, sports, and green jobs), and (5) preemployment support services. Finally, with the fast-changing nature of work due to technology and artificial intelligence, Ghana needs to develop an education and training system that is versatile and helps young people to adapt and thrive in the twenty-first century world of work.

The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Omar Arias

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2019-06-20

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1464813507

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Despite strong recent economic growth, Sub-Saharan Africa has levels of economic transformation, poverty reduction, and skill development far below those of other regions. Smart investments in developing skills—aligned with the policy goals of productivity growth, inclusion, and adaptability—can help to accelerate the region’s economic transformation in the 21st century. Sub-Saharan Africa’s growing working-age population presents a major opportunity to increase shared prosperity. Countries in the region have invested heavily in building skills; public expenditure on education increased sevenfold over the past 30 years, and more children are in school today than ever before. Yet, systems for building skills in this population have fallen short, and these shortcomings significantly impede economic prospects. In half of the countries, fewer than two in every three children complete primary school; even fewer reach and complete higher levels of education. Learning outcomes have been persistently poor, leading to substantial gaps in basic cognitive skills—literacy and numeracy—among children, young people, and adults. The literacy rate of the adult population is below 50 percent in many countries; functional literacy and numeracy rates are even lower. Systemwide change is required to achieve significant progress. Multiple agencies at the central and local levels are involved in skills development strategies, making skills “everyone’s problem but no one’s responsibility.†? Policies and reforms need to build capacity for evidence-based policies and create incentives to align the behaviors of all stakeholders with the pursuit of national skills development goals. The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investing in Skills for Productivity, Inclusivity, and Adaptability lays out evidence to inform the policy choices that countries will make in skill investments. Each chapter addresses a set of specific questions, drawing on original analysis and synthesis of existing studies to explore key areas: • How the skills appropriate to each stage of the life cycle are acquired and what market and institutional failures affect skills formation • What systems are needed for individuals to access these skills, including family investments, private sector institutions, schools, and other public programs • How those systems can be strengthened • How the most vulnerable individuals—those who fall outside the standard systems and have missed critical building blocks in skills acquisition—can be supported. Countries will face trade-offs—often stark ones—that will have distributional impacts and a bearing on their development path. Committed leaders, reform coalitions, and well-coordinated policies are essential for taking on the skills balancing act in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Stepping Up Skills in Urban Ghana
Stepping Up Skills in Urban Ghana

Author: Peter Darvas

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2017-08-15

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1464810133

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The Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) Survey is an initiative of the World Bank in cooperation with other development partners and nongovernmental agencies and carried out in more than 14 countries globally. In Ghana, the first phase of the survey focusing on adults in urban communities was carried out in cooperation with the University of Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), the Ministry of Education, the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

Le développement des compétences en Afrique subsaharienne, un exercice d'équilibre
Le développement des compétences en Afrique subsaharienne, un exercice d'équilibre

Author: Omar Arias

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2020-10-08

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 1464815763

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Malgré la forte croissance économique que l’Afrique subsaharienne a connue ces vingt dernières années, les niveaux de transformation économique, de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement des compétences dans cette partie du monde sont bien inférieurs à ceux des autres régions. Des investissements judicieux dans le développement des compétences, en accord avec les objectifs politiques de croissance de la productivité, d’inclusion et d’adaptabilité, peuvent aider à accélérer la transformation économique de la région subsaharienne au XXIe siècle. L’augmentation de la population en âge de travailler en Afrique subsaharienne constitue une réelle chance d’accroître la prospérité collective. Les pays de la région ont investi massivement dans le développement des compétences†‰; les dépenses publiques consacrées à l’éducation ont été multipliées par sept au cours des 30 dernières années, et le nombre d’enfants scolarisés est aujourd’hui plus élevé que jamais. Pourtant, les systèmes d’éducation de cette population n’ont pas donné les résultats escomptés, et ces insuffisances entravent considérablement les perspectives économiques. Dans la moitié des pays, moins de deux enfants sur trois terminent l’école primaire, et encore moins atteignent des niveaux supérieurs d’enseignement et obtiennent un diplôme. Les acquis d’apprentissage demeurent faibles, ce qui entraîne des lacunes dans les compétences cognitives de base telles que la lecture, l’écriture et le calcul, aussi bien chez les enfants, les jeunes que les adultes. Le taux d’alphabétisation de la population adulte est inférieur à 50 % dans de nombreux pays†‰; la part des adultes sachant lire, écrire et compter de manière fonctionnelle est encore plus faible. Une réforme du système est nécessaire pour réaliser des progrès significatifs. De multiples agences aux niveaux national et local sont impliquées dans les stratégies de développement des compétences, faisant des compétences «†‰le problème de tous, mais la responsabilité de personne†‰». Les politiques et les réformes doivent permettre de renforcer les capacités des politiques qui ont fait leurs preuves et d’instaurer des mesures incitatives visant à faire converger le comportement de tous les acteurs dans la poursuite des objectifs de développement des compétences au niveau national. Le développement des compétences en Afrique subsaharienne, un exercice d’équilibre. Investir dans les compétences pour la productivité, l’inclusion et l’adaptabilité présente des données qui éclaireront les choix stratégiques des pays en matière d’investissements dans les compétences. Chaque chapitre aborde un ensemble de questions spécifiques, en s’appuyant sur une analyse originale et sur une synthèse des travaux existants pour explorer les domaines principaux : • comment les compétences appropriées à chaque étape du cycle de vie sont-elles acquises et quelles défaillances du marché et des institutions affectent le développement des compétences†‰; • quels systèmes sont nécessaires pour que les individus aient accès à ces compétences, notamment les investissements consentis par les familles, les institutions du secteur privé, les écoles et autres programmes publics†‰; • comment ces systèmes peuvent-ils être renforcés†‰; • comment les personnes les plus vulnérables, à savoir celles qui ne font pas partie des systèmes standards et qui n’ont pas réussi à acquérir des compétences essentielles, peuvent-elles être soutenues. Les pays de la région seront souvent confrontés à des arbitrages difficiles qui auront des effets distributifs et influeront sur leur trajectoire de développement. Des dirigeants engagés, des efforts conjoints de réforme et des politiques bien coordonnées sont essentiels pour aborder le délicat exercice d’équilibre que représente le développement des compétences en Afrique subsaharienne.

The Challenge of African Potentials
The Challenge of African Potentials

Author: Ofosu-Kusi, Yaw

Publisher: Langaa RPCIG

Published: 2020-02-22

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9956551147

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This collection of articles is based on presentations and discussions at the 2018 African Potentials Forum, held in Accra, Ghana. This forum was a part of the African Potentials Project, which aims to clarify the latent problem-solving abilities, ways of thinking, and institutions that have been created, accumulated, unified, and deployed in the everyday experiences of Africans. The notion of Africa’s latent power/potential is not related to romanticisation of the traditional knowledge of African society and its institutions as fixed, essentialised ‘magic wands’. This notion also raises objections against political dogmas that seek to smoke out and eliminate thought and values originating in Western modernity. The keyword of the Accra Forum was futurity. Africa’s future is laden with possibilities, latent power, and potential. It is bright and hopeful but, simultaneously, bleak and thought-provoking. For nascent democracies and economically challenged communities, the value of this potential lies not in its static qualities but in how these qualities can be harnessed and translated into beneficial practical outcomes. As a concept, ‘potential’ connotes a time to come; a futurity that is full of known and unknown possibilities, challenges, and opportunities.

Work and Labor Relations in the Construction Industry
Work and Labor Relations in the Construction Industry

Author: Dale Belman

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0429775067

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The need for a skilled, motivated and effective workforce is fundamental to the creation of the built environment across the world. Known in so many places for a tendency to informal and casual working practices, for the sometimes abusive use of migrant labor, for gendered male employment and for a neglect of the essentials of health and safety, the industry, its managers and its workforce face multiple challenges. This book brings an international lens to address those challenges, looking particularly at the diverse ways in which answers have been found to manage safe and productive employment practices and effective employment relations within the framework of client demands for timely and cost-effective project completions. Whilst context, history and contractual frameworks may all militate against a careful attention to human resource issues this makes them even more deserving of attention. Work and Labor Relations in Construction aims to share understanding of best practice in the industries associated with construction and related activities, recognizing that effective work organization and good standards of employee relations will vary from one location to another. It acknowledges the real difficulties encountered by workers in parts of the developing world and the quest for improvement and awareness of some of the worst hazards and current practices. This book is both critical and analytical in approach and seeks to alert readers to the need for change. Aimed at addressing practical issues within the construction industry from a theoretical and empirical standpoint, it will be of value to those interested in the built environment, employment relations and human resource management.

Critical Issues in South African Education
Critical Issues in South African Education

Author: Charl C. Wolhuter

Publisher: AOSIS

Published: 2020-12-31

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 1928523625

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The main thesis of this book is that, given that South African education faces major challenges, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) constellation of states offers — thus far overlooked — a valuable tertium comparationis, a source of international comparative perspectives, to inform the domestic scholarly discourse on education. This book first investigates the national contexts and development of education in the BRICS countries, arguing that this grouping represents a valuable but yet overlooked field for illuminating South African education issues with international perspectives. The book consists of chapters arguing for and illustrating this thesis from a variety of angles. Common to all chapters is that authors used the comparative method in education, that is comparing the national education system, in their education societal context interrelationships, of the BRICS countries. The chapters focus on a number of critical issues in South African education, including the language of learning and teaching issue, the alignment of the world of education with the world of work, early childhood education, and the development of world-class universities. Regarding the last, for example, China has been the terrain of the most intensive national projects of establishing world-class universities, with Project 985, Project 211, and the “Double First Class University” project. The chapters demonstrate what South Africa, in approaching her education issues, can learn from the experience of the BRICS countries.

Knowledge, Education and Social Structure in Africa
Knowledge, Education and Social Structure in Africa

Author: Shoko Yamada

Publisher: African Books Collective

Published: 2021-03-14

Total Pages: 367

ISBN-13: 9956553158

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In searching for the potential that lies in African societies, the chapters of this volume consider relationships between knowledge, education and social structure from multiple angles, from a macro-continental scale to national education systems, schools and local communities. The themes that cut across the chapters include education as a mode of transmitting values, the contrasting effects of school credentials and knowledge for use, politics and interactions among people surrounding a school and knowledge acquisition as a subjective process. The rich empirical analyses suggest that the subjective commitment of, and mutuality among, people will make the acquired knowledge a powerful 'tool for conviviality' to realize a stable life, even given the turmoil created by rapid institutional and environmental changes that confront African societies.