The Artisans Association of Ghana has said although the Covid-19 pandemic has affected all educational sectors across the globe, the most affected sector is the vocational and the technical training institutes, due to the nature of their work and learning process.
National President of the Association Gideon Bidor in a statement to members indicated on World Skills Day, which falls on July 15 every year, that the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the already high rate of youth unemployment in many countries as the youth form a larger part of skilled workers in the world market.
“In the face of all these difficulties, nonetheless, the Association wishes to encourage its members and all skill workers and trainees across the globe to keep safe under the circumstance,” Mr Bidor stated.
With over 26,000 membership drawn from specialized trade areas like Glass Aluminum Fabricating, Welding, Auto Engineering, Photography, Plumbing, Pest Control, Construction, Carpentry, Architecture, Painting, and many more, the Association urged all its members and all skill workers, especially the youth, to be very active and be ready to grab any least opportunity available to use the situation to rather equip themselves with e-learning and not to see the situation as a total hindrance to their development.
The theme for this year’s event is: ‘Skills for a Resilient Youth in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond’.
It is estimated that nearly 70% of the world’s learners are affected by school closures across education levels currently. Respondents to a survey of TVET institutions, jointly collected by UNESCO, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank, reported that distance training has become the most common way of imparting skills, with considerable difficulties regarding, among others, curricula adaptation, trainee and trainer preparedness, connectivity, or assessment and certification processes.
By Richard Bright Addo|3news.com|Ghana