DTI partners SIPA of Columbia University Labour Market Information Systems
The Design and Technology Institute (DTI) has partnered with the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University (SIPA) on a project for the establishment of Labour Market Information Systems (LMIS) and/or Alternative Models in Ghana.
The research component of the project will examine the current state of LMIS in Ghana as well as relevant types and examples of LMIS around the world.
A statement issued in Accra said the partnership was as a result of the for a real-life LMIS in Ghana and as part of preparations for the 4th annual National Precision Quality Conference.
It said the partnership would look at the context of alternative LMIS models for Ghana and in selected countries of the world and see how these are used to anticipate needed skills for industry.
The statement said after undertaking desk reviews as well as interviews and discussions with stakeholders in Ghana, the DTI-SIPA team would focus on alternate models with the aim of prioritizing a set of 2-3 alternate models using case studies from Ghana and other countries for possible consideration.
It is envisaged that these discussions on LMIS and Alternative Models for labour market information would be discussed and considerations on the options available for adoption for Ghana.
The statement said a future of work that provided decent and sustainable work opportunities for all is of major concern to academia, private sector and the Government of Ghana.
It said under the auspices of the Skills Initiative for Africa (SIPA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) worked with the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to prepare a national action plan on the skills that industry required and the right curriculum to train people with the skills they needed to access those jobs.
The plan proposed targeting a Skills Development Policy towards three main objectives: matching supply to current demand for skills; helping workers and enterprises adjust to change; and building and sustaining competencies for future labour market needs.
It said the action plan employed a stakeholder participatory methodology where industry players and experts were actively engaged in developing the road map for strengthening Ghana’s labour market information and skills anticipation system.
The statement said DTI and its stakeholders were keen to work on ways of improving Ghana’s LMIS within the informal sector and to strengthen it.
“An improved LMIS will also feed into DTI’s collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission for policy options that address skills acquisitions gaps, job creation, and business development, among others for socio-economic development,” it said.
Specifically, the action will enable the strengthening and expansion of Ghana’s Human Capital Development Strategy.
The strategy seeks to prioritise an improved value chain in employment creation both in the formal and informal sectors as the country pursues its industrialisation agenda.
It said it was the aim to be part of the move to create a globally competitive workforce, equipped with the skills and competencies in preparation for the “future of work “in the fourth industrial revolution.
Source: GNA