Technical Universities urged to embrace ‘Precision Quality’ training curricula
Technical Universities have been advised to integrate ‘Precision Quality (PQ)’ training programme into their curricula.
Mrs Constance Elizabeth Swaniker, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Design and Technology Institute (DTI), said the inclusion would further enrich the academic programmes of the Universities, which have been mandated to provide competency-based learning approaches in the technical fields.
The PQ training programme is designed and developed through a collaborative effort of industry experts.
It has been accredited by the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education Training (COTVET) to equip young people with industry-demand skills to prepare them for fulfilling jobs.
The concept is to enhance the TVET curriculum to revolutionise the work and practical ethics of the youth by imbibing in them new skills and fresh attitudes while ensuring strict adherence to industry standards and certification requirements.
It also has the objective of helping TVET facilitators understand the relevance of competency-based learning and appreciate the content of the PQ curriculum.
Mrs Swaniker, who made the call in Kumasi, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the DTI, a pro technical and vocational education and training (TVET) establishment, and Kumasi Technical University, (KsTU), said the PQ curriculum consisted of five training modules.
The modules are Change to Grow, Process Integration, People and Team Development, Health and Safety in the Workplace and Managing Quality and Customer Relations.
On the MoU, Mrs Swaniker said the “DTI aims to bring industry to the doorsteps of KsTU and all other relevant technical institutions.”
She said industry trends were rapidly changing, therefore, there was the need to bridge the gap between academia and industry, adding that it was important institutions positioned themselves to embrace new technological trends.
“We should not have graduates without jobs if they acquire these in-depth training skills set and competencies,” the CEO stated, arguing that upon completion of their academic programmes graduates should be able to set themselves up.
She explained that the signing of the agreement was in line with the Institute’s collaborative strategies to implement the “Transforming Youth TVET Livelihood for Sustainable Jobs” Policy.
The Policy has the vision to enable some 30 million young people, particularly women, to access dignified and fulfilling work opportunities by 2030.
Professor Nana Osei-Wusu Achaw, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), KsTU, said the University was ready to partner with institutions with similar mandates to provide higher education in engineering, science and technology-based disciplines, technical and vocational education and training, as well as applied arts.
Therefore, the Management was, particularly, delighted that the DTI was partnering with the KsTU to implement the PQ programme.
It was one area the University had recently redesigned its curriculum to achieve academic excellence, the Vice-Chancellor said and suggested that the collaboration would be quickly extended to other departments, including Mechanical Engineering and those offering TVET programmes.
This, he said, would help students pursuing programmes in these disciplines to put into practice their learning for better outcomes.
He pledged the University Management’s resolve to commit and provide the necessary support to sustain the collaboration between the two institutions.
Source: GNA