Design and Technology Institute and Ho Technical University partner to transform youth livelihoods in Ghana

Ho, Volta Region – April 29, 2021 – The Design and Technology Institute (DTI) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ho Technical University to support the training of thousands of Ghanaian youth in Technical and Vocational Training and Education (TVET).

The agreement will lead to the enhancement of the University’s TVET curriculum with the inclusion of DTI’s Precision Quality (PQ) training, the upskilling of instructors, and academic faculty to prepare students for the world of work.

The initiative is part of a three-year “Transforming youth TVET livelihoods for sustainable jobs’’ partnership between DTI and the Mastercard Foundation, as part of the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy in Ghana. The program will provide 40,000 direct and indirect work opportunities for young people in the country .

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Ho Technical University to incorporate the PQ curriculum, which has been carefully designed with academia and industry professionals, to equip young people with the skills required to better transition into the world of work. The arrangement with the University is a major step to ensuring that we maintain the same level of standards in TVET education delivery across the country. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to develop programs that meet the needs of industry and open up opportunities for young people,” said Constance Swaniker, CEO of DTI.

As part of the partnership, DTI provided two ultra-modern TVET workshops equipped with state-of-the-art precision hand tools to the University and the Kwanesco Engineering Company to ensure students and instructors received hands-on experience in Precision Quality training.

“Ghana cannot go on with business as usual. We must unlearn the sub-standard industry habits, re-learn new skills, adopt Precision Quality as a movement, and implement it to reverse the unemployment issues of Ghana and Africa as a whole. This partnership with DTI enables us to deliver our mandate of training skilled and competent young people to boost the socio-economic development of our country,” commented Prof. Ben Q. Honyenuga, Vice-Chancellor of Ho Technical University.

The Ho Technical University is the first TVET institution to roll out the implementation of the PQ curriculum following a ‘Train the Trainer’ workshop organized in March and April of this year with 12 Academic and Business Scale Advisors from Ho, Kumasi, and Accra. The PQ curriculum consists of five training modules, including: Change to Grow, Process Integration, People and Team Development, Health and Safety in the Workplace, and Managing Quality and Customer Relations.

“Creating sustainable pathways to employment starts with the right skills training and education. We are excited to see the adoption of PQ training into the curriculum of Technical Universities and institutions to better prepare young Ghanaians for the world outside of the classroom,” said James McIntyre, Education and Skills Lead at the Mastercard Foundation.

President of the Master Craft Persons Association in Ho and CEO of Kwanesco Engineering Company, Nelson Kwame Attah, commended DTI for upgrading their workshop to support the training of Master Craft persons and SMEs in Ho.

About Design and Technology Institute

The Design and Technology Institute (DTI) is a state-of-the-art Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) for young people. It was officially launched in September 2019 to provide the platform for students from various Universities, Polytechnics, Technical and Vocational Institutions to gain industry experience by working closely with artisans on a factory floor, supported by experienced instructors. The mission of the Institute is to transform skills training for young people in Ghana and across West Africa.

The Institute offers scholarships to needy but brilliant students in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation under their Young Africa Works strategy in Ghana. The campus is located at Mempeasem, East Legon behind Ghana Meteorological Agency (Digital Address: GA-484-6124).

About the Mastercard Foundation

The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in Indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.

About the Young Africa Works Program

Young Africa Works is the Mastercard Foundation’s strategy to enable 30 million young people, particularly young women, to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030. It is estimated that by 2030, Africa will be home to the world’s largest workforce, with 375 million young people entering the labour market. With the right skills, these young people will improve their lives and the lives of their communities, contributing to Africa’s overall competitiveness.

The Young Africa Works program is currently being implemented in seven African countries in collaboration with governments, the private sector, business leaders, educators, and young people. Countries involved in the first phase of the strategy include Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda.