Ghana's Agriculture Sector Skills Strategy
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
Skills and employment policies should be viewed together. The full value of one policy set is realized when it supports the objectives of the other. For investments in education and training to yield maximum benefit to workers, enterprises, and economies, countries’ capacities for coordination is critical in three areas: connecting basic education to technical training and then to market entry; ensuring continuous communication between employers and training providers so that training meets the needs and aspirations of workers and enterprises, and integrating skills development policies with industrial, investment, trade, technology, environmental, rural and local development policies.
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Recommendations and advice on resolving policy challenges related to skills development systems and their linkages to the world of work. Concise syntheses of experience from the international organizations.
ILO’s Skill Up Ghana project, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, in collaboration the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported the Ghanaian Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in the establishment of Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) for the Agriculture, agriculture and tourism and hospitality sectors.
This skills strategy for the Agriculture sector has been devised by the members of the Agriculture Sector Skills Body (SSB) and outlines the current and future skills and labour needs for the sector. It sets out a comprehensive action plan to ensure that the supply of skills and labour meets those needs.
Agriculture is a critical sector for the Ghanaian economy; in terms of the number of people employed in the sector, its role to meet local demand and its export potential. If it is to maximize its potential it is critical that it has a skilled and productive workforce. However, evidence suggests that it lacks essential skills in a variety of occupational areas.
Skills mismatch and shortages are a common challenge in many countries, where applicants and the
existing workforce do not have the skills to meet organizational and sectoral requirements. In response to this challenge, countries have been adopting a demand-driven skills development approach that aims to provide individuals with the current and future skills required by the labour market through more effective linkages between technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and employers.
The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) in collaboration with
the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has established Sector Skills Bodies (SSBs) for the agriculture, construction and tourism and hospitality sectors with the aim of establishing a demand-led TVET system in these sectors.
To support their establishment, the ILO worked with the SSBs to develop sector skills strategies through applying ILO’s Skills for Trade and Economic Diversification (STED) approach in order to better align skills development to labour market needs. This document sets out that strategy and outlines a range of proposed actions to address the skill needs of the agriculture sector identified through the process by the SSB members.
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